10 Days
by Peridot0814
Summary: She spent her entire life chasing after him. He's spending 10 days to stop her. Postwar AU, NaruHina
1. Prologue

**10 Days**

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto Shippuden

This fic is very experimental for me when it comes to characterization. With _Playing Interventionist _being monthly updated, I decided this one will be weekly, very short fic.

**Prologue**

* * *

No matter where you were, there was a silent agreement amongst all shinobi kind that Hinata Hyuuga wasn't meant to be a kunoichi.

They could see her as a scholarly mentor, smiling as she taught and gently corrected children's ninjutsu. They could see her as a hard-working baker, with snow flour strewn in flakes across indigo locks and a soft smile on rosy lips as scents of cinnamon and sugar surrounded her. They could see her as a loving mother, with a doe-lilac or silver- eyed child attached to her finger and leading him or her through the town with whomever her husband was, no doubt a Hyuuga. With curves like hers and a gentle disposition, Hinata Hyuuga and kunoichi simply didn't mix.

Why, a kunoichi was strong, ruthlessly graceful and imperceptibly intelligent. And, not that Hinata wasn't, but she was simply just…_too gentle._

A kunoichi could melt her enemies with a single strike and watch in unmasked disgust as he would writher and mewl like a baby before she effectively slashed his neck and leave the body to decompose in the depths of forests. All without looking back.

Nobody could ever picture sweet, gentle Hinata, who took care of her deceased mothers flower garden, ruthlessly slashing an enemy's neck and not retract as his blood doused her virgin skin.

And amongst where all these bits of gossip, it was the densest who noticed this as well.

Naruto Uzumaki watched discreetly as the young Hyuuga heiress twiddled her fingers and rocked herself back and forth on the balls of her feet as her lilac gaze remained flickering from the dirt floors of the paths to the steady streams of people going on about their daily lives.

The week-long celebration of the ending of the war was slowly coming to a close; sun bleached banners hung unceremoniously in between buildings while dirt-covered confetti had mixed with the soil that they walked on. New events had become things of the past, including the festivals where everybody wore their finest kimonos and celebrated.

Naruto could have chosen not to notice the young woman.

Why would he? He was a hero, a praised being; he was the ray of sunshine in the gloom of the shinobi world. He was adored by his friends, and all those that had once hated him were now begging for his autograph.

Naruto _loved_ it.

There wasn't a single moment where a fellow shinobi would clap him on the back proudly, or when he'd get a thank-you letter from children still stuck at the academy. Strangers would pile his doorstep with gifts, money, and showered him in enough ramen to feed him for a lifetime.

Besides the positive attention, he had his best friend back, the avenger, none other than _Sasuke Uchiha_. Of course, with his addition into the war and helping deliver the final blows to Obito and the Juubi with Naruto, his actions silently declared that he was _back_. Tsunade would have been overwhelmed with happiness had not for the cries of protest from the villagers, not that the brooding young man really cared. Team 7 was united, once and for all.

In all, it would have seemed like nothing had changed from three years ago except for one: The shy, bashful lilac eyed beauty who couldn't seem to speak for herself.

To say at the very least, the confession was _still_ ringing in Naruto's head. Three or four months prior to the attack on Konoha, he could vaguely remember the destruction, the pain, the fight or even the deaths of members. All he remembered was feeling angry, overwhelmed, scared…and then _she_ appeared.

Naruto swore, he nearly crapped himself when he saw the streak of milky skin and indigo fly through the air. He was terrified, he begged for her to leave, she had no chance-

But she _knew_. She _knew_ that she had no chance against Pain, that she _would_ die, but she still fought and freed him to the best of her extent.

Naruto was so touched and ashamed at the moment of her confession.

It was the nicest thing _anyone_ had ever done for him in his life. And as much as he wanted to thank her for it, he couldn't help but feel so…_gingerly_ towards her.

She was a little lamb, a docile being. A little sunflower, if cut the wrong way, all of its beauty would be gone. He could imagine the heartbreak she'd go through if Naruto told her he didn't feel that way. She'd fall into a spiraling depression; she didn't even have the confidence to speak without a stutter, for Kami's sake.

But then he felt a wave of guilt hit him like a tsunami. He couldn't just _leave_ her hanging answerless; this was adorable, sweetheart Hinata he was talking about.

He was damned if he did, damned if he didn't.

Naruto fidgeted for the first time when Hinata's lavender eyes seemed to have connected with his momentarily before she blushed to the tips of her fingers and offered a small, serene smile. Naruto's face split with a half-grin.

She twiddled her fingers again, slowly and shyly taking steps towards him in Ichiraku's Ramen Bar. "Good evening, Naruto-kun,"

Naruto had to strain himself in order to hear over the clamor of the pots clanging and steam sizzling. "What's up, Hinata?"

Hinata's eyes fell to the floor again as she pushed back a lock of hair from her face. "A-ano, how are your wounds? I could make y-you salve if you'd like."

Naruto felt his stomach drop, his smile quickly turning forced. She made it really, really hard. She was _too_ nice. He shook his head. "N-nah, I'm good. I heal quickly, but Sasuke-teme sure needs some! He's been complaining that his wounds won't heal properly ever since the chakra bracelet depleter's been slapped on him."

"I'd be h-happy to help," Hinata nodded, smiling gently with closed eyes. "I'll give him s-some tomorrow,"

"Yeah…" Naruto looked around awkwardly, hoping for a distraction. Kakashi-sensei had to speak with him about something, and with impeccable precision, Kakashi-sensei was late again.

"Ano, Naruto-kun," Her soft voice interrupted him, much to his chagrin. Naruto found the lilac eyed girl seemingly nervous. "A-are you alright?"

Naruto blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I-I mean, are you feeling alright? You s-seem to be c-contemplating on something deeply…" Hinata hinted, nervously fiddling with her hair.

Naruto's heart stood still. He really _shouldn't_ be doing this to her just stringing her along. What kind of a friend would that make him? It would totally betray his nindo, but looking at her with concern creasing her brow and sending butterflies in his stomach, he was currently reconsidering that.

Naruto sighed, "Look, Hinata, I'm going to be really honest with you. You're a great friend, and even better person, but, it's just like…um…how do I say this…?"

"It's alright. I understand." Hinata reciprocated with ease, bowing her head lightly. Naruto blinked twice before his mouth unhinged, surprised. "Wait, you knew that…?"

"I know that you don't feel the same way about me," Hinata forced out a little giggle before her mouth pinched into a small smile. "It's okay though. I'm fine. Thank you for telling me, though."

Naruto felt his heart wrench in agony, watching as she looked at the floor dejectedly. "Look, Hinata, it's not that I don't like you…it's just that I have tunnel vision! I'm sure you'd be a great girlfriend, but…I'm…I'm just not interested. I can't see you like that in anyway…don't get me wrong, your confession was really, really sweet. Probably the nicest thing I've ever heard from anyone," Naruto added in. "But…I'm always going to love Sakura-chan, no matter what." He finished, his eyes dropping to his shoes. Hinata let out a small, quivering sigh. "I kn-know that. Thanks for not l-leaving me hanging though. It really m-meant a lot to me."

"I'm sorry," Naruto blurted out. Hinata's eyes met him, no emotion betraying through them. She merely smiled serenely, speaking without a stutter for once. "Me too, Naruto-kun. Me too."

Naruto felt even guiltier as he watched Hinata shuffle away from him with a small wave before she began melting into the shadows of the dusk.

"Wait, Hinata-chan." Naruto stopped her. She turned around, her eyes flickering in curiosity. "Yes?"

"Let me make it up to you."

"Y-you don't have to do that, Naruto-kun. What y-you've done is enough."

"But…still." Naruto let out a small sigh before a grin split his face. "Look, I think it's rather obvious that _that_ was a crappy explanation. You don't deserve that…but I'm terrible with words too! So instead of explaining to you, I'll _show_ you.

"Give me ten days, Hinata. In ten days, you'll fall out of love with me."

* * *

Those who are reading _Playing Interventionist_ are aware that I refuse to write Hinata as some sort of stuttering-on-every-word, helpless little girl. I'd like to know if I made Hinata less…exaggerated, I suppose, in comparison to the other fics here on . So, pretty much, all I'm asking is would Hinata in Shippuden act like this? I really appreciate the thought, and don't forget to drop a comment :) I've also decided not to exaggerate Naruto too much, just to the point where he can be mature if he wants to be and playful whenever he pleases.


	2. Day 1

**10 Days**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto Shippuden**

_Thanks to: Jackieruffles, "Imafangirlsowhat," RefusedAngel, Hailbara, Shay14, nhalltheway, "BirdieWolf15," .Stars, "Alphonse Elric," "TL," Hiccuproars, Firework's Feelings, kika04, and Kilalahinanaruto555._

_YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! Keep those reviews going!_

**A/N:For Hinata's character, I was hoping not to make her seem too shy, but more _reserved_ if anything. Quiet, content and collected.**

* * *

Naruto remain pouting with a frown on his face as he glared at the whirring ceiling fan above his bed, hands tucked underneath his head as he prepared himself for sleep. Today's events were…somewhat eventful.

A lot of Naruto's will was entirely dedicated to making Hinata realize why they would never work out, but he hadn't had the slightest clue as to where to begin. What _could_ they do? If they trained, Naruto's chakra would overwhelm her, or worse, she could get hurt. Then again, her salves were pretty handy, so maybe they could make those together? But that led to an even _bigger_ question.

What is Hinata even _like?_ Sure, she was a really nice girl. She made salves and medicines when he was hurt, lent him an ear when he needed to blow off some steam, but what else? She wasn't a normal Hyuuga…she was much gentler than that…

Naruto didn't know a _thing_ about the heiress other than the fact that her family consisted of demon spawns and she couldn't speak three whole lines without stuttering.

So here the Jinchuuriki lay, confused and wondering what the hell he was going to do with her.

Of course, they could just hang out? That never goes down wrong, does it? Satisfied with himself, he nodded, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"I woulda cleaned up, but I'm kinda lazy," Naruto offered a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly as he allowed the petite heiress to wander into his modest apartment, closing the door behind her. Surprisingly enough, she did not turn up empty handed: in her meager clutches lay a shopping bag that Naruto had yet to uncover the contents. She opted to exchange her lavender jacket for a turquoise green one, and instead of wearing her high-heel sandals, she wore simple flats instead.

Hinata smiled and let out a small giggle, following after him into the kitchen. "It's n-not that bad."

Cerulean eyes widened as the young heiress lowered herself on one of the wooden chairs he left unceremoniously pulled out, resting the bag on the table.

"Not that _bad_!? I have several different funguses growing on my _ceiling_."

Hinata merely smiled and shrugged, crossing her legs shyly.

Naruto chuckled at his joke before turning to his half-empty cabinets, moving around china unceremoniously. "Do you want some tea? I've never really had people before, and when I do, it's normally guys. I just gotta find some clean cups…"

He heard Hinata shuffling behind him before she stood at the sink, piled high with a mountain of dishes. She rolled the sleeves of her shirt up to her elbows, picking up a crusty sponge before wrinkling her button nose and throwing it out distastefully.

Naruto paused and blinked as he watched her begin going through his cabinets beneath his sink. Without permission. "What are you doing?"

Hinata didn't meet his eyes, instead passing him a lime green dish cloth, unwrapping a new sponge. "I w-wash, you dry?"

Naruto closed the top cabinets, frantically waving away the offending material the Hyuuga offered. "No way! Hinata, I can't have you _clean_ for me! What kind of person would I be if I did that?!"

"A s-stubborn one," She replied offhandedly, her sentence accented with a small twist at the ends of her lips. Naruto blinked again, reluctantly taking the dishcloth from her as she began filling up the sink with soapy water. She looked up at him, a twinkle in her eye. "That w-was a joke, N-Naruto-kun,"

"I never thought you would make a joke," Naruto replied unabashedly as her slender digits ran the soaked sponge over the grimy surface of an old plate. Hinata let out a small giggle as her cheeks became pink. "There's a lot you don't know a-about me,"

"For one, I thought you spoke as much as Shino," Naruto mumbled as he took the wet dish from Hinata's outstretched fingers. This time, she let out a small laugh. It was quiet; Naruto barely heard it above the clinking of splashing wet plates. It was something he hadn't heard before. But it was musical at the same time. She hovered a soapy hand with outspread fingers over her mouth, lips turning into a wide smile as it slipped into the air between the two of them.

Naruto chuckled himself, watching as she shook her head, grinning. "You d-definitely don't know a lot about me." Hinata affirmed.

Another silence. Sopping wet plates were passed, and they were soon onto the plethora of cups and glassware.

"You have a l-lot of dishes for a person that lives by himself," She said quietly. Naruto looked at the collection of neatly stacked plates before shrugging with realization. "Eh. I never really noticed it, but yeah. I guess I do. You're pretty observant."

Hinata's cheeks tinged pink once more as she offered a small smile. "I guess I am."

Naruto's smile became more interested as he put his cloth down, the lilac eyed beauty pausing herself to look up at him questioningly.

"Do you find people interesting?"

Hinata blinked uncertainly twice before resuming to her dishes, "I don't mind speaking to people, b-but I'm not much of a c-conversationalist."

Naruto's brows crinkled. "Then how do you know people so well?"

Hinata's smile this time was small. "N-Naruto-kun, do you remember me from the a-academy at all? When everybody was f-four or five?"

Naruto paused, eyes traveling to the ceiling in thought. His smile quickly turned into a frown. "Now that you mention it…I vaguely remember seeing you."

Hinata nodded, bowing her head a little. Naruto could see the smile in her profile, but her eyes were downcast and fixated on dishes she wasn't even touching. "L-like you, I didn't have many friends g-growing up."

"But what about Shino and Kiba?" Naruto interrupted, confused. "I always see you guys together!"

"I-it wasn't until I was th-thirteen that I made friends with them." Hinata shook her head. "B-but that isn't the point.

"W-when you're invisible, the only th-thing you can really do is _watch_."

Naruto added it all up before finding the sum, this problem seemingly extremely familiar. "And that's why you know people so well. Because you watched everyone."

Hinata nodded, fiddling with the last dish. "L-like you, I was lonely growing up."

Naruto sucked in a breath. He had no _idea_ that Hinata had no friends growing up. It was true, she had a family, but he knew that they all didn't like her until she became stronger, but even then, there was a reserved hopelessness in their eyes. But seeing this petite girl in front of him with a sad past, Naruto did the one thing he _could_ do.

"Aw, Hinata-chan!" Naruto cried out, immediately scaring her as she gasped. He locked his arms around her, hugging her with her cheek pressed against his chest.

"N-Naruto-kun!" She squeaked. Naruto held on. "I feel so bad knowing that you were lonely!"

"I-it's okay, Naruto-kun!" She replied, flustered as she wrenched out of his grip, face redder than a tomato. "I-I have plenty of friends now! No worries!"

Naruto sighed contently, chuckling at the sight of the disheveled kunoichi. Her hair tie was threatening to fall out, and the locks of hair that normally fell straight were now awkwardly messy. Her cheeks were bright red, the rest of her face tickled pink as her brows creased in embarrassment. Naruto watched herself sway, yet giggling to herself nervously, and a strange thought popped into his head.

Hinata…was sort of _cute_.

* * *

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	3. Day 2

**10 Days**

Disclaimer: DO not own Naruto Shippuden!

_Thanks to: iluvninjas, Ookami88, Ayrmed, Hiccuproars, xXYour DoomXx, thephoenixblade, mysweets, paracuties, kika04, Kilalahinanaruto555,Fher34, LikeTheBreeze, Titokhan, and last but not least, Firework's Feelings! _

_You guys are the best reviewers EVAR! Party at my place!_

* * *

Naruto was never a patient person, but when it came to ramen, he was earlier than expected. Yesterday's dinner was great…after Hinata and he did the dishes together, she revealed the contents of the bag: all the ingredients to his beloved miso pork ramen. Naruto happily gave her another tight hug for that, to which she grew limp in his arms until he put her into a chair. They talked and cooked and ate dinner together, which surprisingly worked out very well. Hinata had allowed a sliver of herself to be revealed to Naruto.

She laughed openly but quietly at all of his jokes and let him continue to blabber on, her eyes glittering and twinkling underneath the fluorescent lighting of his shabby apartment. They took turns asking each other questions, though it seemed that Hinata already _knew_ his favorite food and colors and everything. He offered to make it up to her by letting him pay for their next meal; she got to choose where they ate. He was pretty surprised when she named Ichiraku's, but hey, if she wanted to go there, why not? He certainly wouldn't complain. The two of them were to meet in front of the restaurant at six in the evening.

At any other restaurant, Naruto would be ten minutes late. But now? He was ten minutes _early_. He leaned against the side of the wall, waving hello to strangers and offering smiles to passerby stranger citizens.

Naruto remained thoughtful, which wasn't quite often. Hinata was something different. She wasn't like any of the girls he'd talked to or worked with before. She wasn't loud like Ino, scary like Tenten, prideful like Sakura or blunt like Temari. She was polite, sweet, and took the time to really get to know someone.

'_She's the kind of girl every mom dreams of their sons bringing home.' _He thought to himself before blinking twice and taking on the expression of surprise. Whoa. _That_ was a weird thought. The cute thing could pass because, hell, she was adorable. Anybody with eyes could see that!

But bringing her home to mom?

First off, he didn't _have_ a mother since said woman was deceased and two…he just _met_ the girl!

Naruto shook his head thoroughly, not long before he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He spun around, coming face to face with said girl.

"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata greeted, her lilac eyes shining in excitement. Her cheeks were rosy, like always, and she donned her normal civilian clothes. "You're here e-early,"

"Hi, Hinata-chan!" Naruto greeted back, an unconscious smile pulling at his lips. "Yeah, I wouldn't miss an opportunity for ramen."

Hinata giggled before she followed after him into Ichiraku's. "H-how was your day?"

"Not bad," Naruto replied, being gentle-man like and allowing Hinata to sit before he did, "Turns out Sai's going to be joining Team Seven again."

"That's exciting. D-does Sasuke-kun like Sai?" Hinata nodded, inhaling the mouth-watering scent of ramen. Naruto pursed his lips. "It's kind of hard to tell since he's a hard ass on everyone."

Hinata giggled, covering her mouth as Teuchi slid up to the bar counter. "Naruto m'boy! How's everything?"

"Great, Teuchi-san! Can we have two orders of miso pork ramen?" Naruto replied, flashing him a wide grin and thumbs up. The weathered man merely smiled as Ayame came with two bowls of ramen, setting them before the two of them.

"_Arigato_, Ayame-san, Teuchi-san," Hinata smiled at the two of them as she broke apart her chopsticks. Naruto immediately began digging in, not long before Ayame noticed that the two of them were eating together and there was no other company.

"Hinata-san? With Naruto by yourself?" Ayame passed fleeting looks to a wide-eyed Hinata and an occupied Naruto. Her mouth fell open as her hands flew up to cup her face in excitement. "Are you two on a date?!"

Hinata gasped, her face immediately reddening as she slouched, hiding her face behind a curtain of thick hair. Naruto nearly spat out his beloved ramen, instead opting to choke on it ungracefully.

"What?! No! We're just two friends trying to get to know each other better!" Naruto refuted, flustered. Ayame arched a brow, crossing her arms across her chest. "Isn't that was a date is?"

Naruto held his breath, an evanescent moment of tense silence in between the three of them. "I…I guess we're on a date, then."

Hinata's shade quickly morphed from pink to pale in a matter of seconds. Ayame grinned. "It's about time. Here I was thinking that you'd never get over Sakura-san."

An awkward silence was instantly emitted as Ayame laughed and walked away. Naruto's eyes were fixated on the ramen, but all of a sudden, he didn't feel all that hungry. He stole a glance at Hinata, who seemed to be casual about it as she played with her ramen before tilting her head back and slurping up noodles.

"Hey, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked hesitantly. Hinata looked up from her bowl, slurping up some noodles. "Yes?"

"Do you hate me for loving Sakura-chan?"

Hinata sighed, shaking her head. "It's i-impossible to hate you, Naruto-kun."

"Hinata-chan, look, I feel really bad now…" Naruto put a hand on her shoulder gently. She shook her head, her ever so present small smile curving her lips. "You don't n-need to explain yourself. I know."

They chattered quietly, though an awkward tension was dispelled between the two of them. Naruto hungrily ate his noodles after it passed, catching a sly grin from Hinata as she slurped up hers, getting remnants of miso soup stuck on the corner of her lips. Naruto frowned, pointing. "You got something there, Hina-chan."

The lilac eyed beauty frowned herself as she forgot the rest of her soup and swiped at the invisible spot.

"No, a bit up," Naruto ushered with his own thumb. Hinata again missed, this time dipping too low under the spot. Naruto reached for it himself, using one hand to hold her head from the chin and the other to wipe it away with his thumb. With his hand still cupping Hinata's face, his eyes accidentally fell onto the heiress before he realized what he was doing. She turned her head elsewhere and burned a bright red, while he retracted his hand shyly, feeling his ears go hot.

"Sorry, I thought you wouldn't mind," Naruto offered sheepishly. Hinata giggled nervously. "I-I don't mind, thank you though,"

"Well…our ramen is finished…wanna go for a walk?" Naruto asked as he fished out his froggy wallet.

"A walk? B-but it's so late now…" Hinata's button nose crinkled. Naruto shrugged, a small smile on his face as he tugged the heiress's arm. "Come on. I've got something to show you."

* * *

"W-where are we going?" Hinata asked quietly as the two of them deviated from the normal, clustered path from the town. Naruto kept a firm hold of her wrist as his grin stretched out. "I told you. It's a surprise already. You're impatient aren't you?"

"I'd s-say curious and worried…" She grumbled. Naruto chuckled before coming to a stop before their destination.

"You brought me back to school?" She questioned as her eyes scanned the white walls, now a dark blue shrouded with ink-blot shadows coming from moonlight trying to get through opaque leaved from trees.

"No, I brought you to my favorite place as a kid." Naruto led her to the lone swing that hung on the branches. He got behind it, ushering the bluenette to sit on the weathered plank.

"I'm t-too heavy for that. It'll break." Hinata shook her head worriedly. Naruto laughed. "You're like, five pounds Hina-chan. Trust me, it won't break."

The heiress looked at the offending seat hopelessly before gingerly setting herself on it. She held onto the worn rope, Naruto putting his hard, calloused hands over hers and dragging them both back. The tickles in the pit of Hinata stomach made her giggle quietly as the two of them played together in silence.

"I don't know why I'm so in love with Sakura-chan." Naruto said quietly after about fifteen minutes. "It was weird, you know? Love at first sight."

Hinata chose to remain quiet, instead listening carefully. Naruto sighed, stopping the swing and taking a seat on the roots of the tree with his hands tucked behind his head against the bark, eyes cast upwards to the inky sky. "When I first met her, I thought she was the most beautiful, smartest, nicest girl I've ever met."

Naruto couldn't tell if Hinata's sigh was pitiful or forlorn.

"But I chased after her since day one. And I've been chasing her for, like, ten years now with this hope that one day, just _one day_, she'll give me a chance. With Sasuke gone, I thought maybe she'd get over him, and that she'd give me a chance for a change, but the part that sucked about it was that she fell even _harder_ for him. She'd constantly talk about Sasuke, what we would do when the bastard came back, what he would be like. She practically _predicted_ his future. _Their_ future.

"When I first came back, she was happy to see me. But when Sasuke returned? She clung onto him and cried rivers of tears. And all I got was a stupid, _hey_ and a punch across the face." Naruto chuckled, shaking his head and choosing to run a hand through his unkempt spikes. "She's with him all the time now. She's taking care of him like the way a wife would. She cooks and cleans for him, too. It's…sad…"

"Th-then why do you still chase after her?" Hinata asked smally. Naruto was surprised, taken aback by the question delivered with her innocent tone.

"I…I love her," Naruto responded mechanically. "I always have and always will. It's tunnel vision…all I see is Sakura-chan."

"Y-yes, but why do you love someone that won't ever give y-you a chance?"

"How do you know that?" Naruto's brow furrowed as he met Hinata's gaze. "For all I know, she could have a crush on me any moment."

"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata got off the swing, sitting down next to him. Her eyes were mysteriously cold, yet warm with a familiar hurt. "She hasn't g-given you a chance when you saved Sasuke-kun, when you saved Konoha and w-when you won the war. W-what makes you th-think that she'll give you a chance now that she has everything she wants?"

Naruto held his breath, stalling for a few moments before he met Hinata's eyes. "She…she won't ever, would she?"

Hinata shrugged. "Who kn-knows?"

She gave Naruto's hand a gentle squeeze, smiling at him ruefully. "I admire how devoted and loyal y-you are to her though,"

Naruto sighed depressedly, looking at his hands as another silence crept between them.

"All those things you said…I guess I _knew_ them. I knew she wouldn't ever see me that way…but hearing it from you? Now that kinda hurts."

"I-I'm sorry!" She immediately apologized, flustered. Naruto chuckled before throwing an arm around Hinata in a lazy hug. "Nah. I think I needed that. You're right. I should probably stop chasing after someone who won't give me the time of day."

Hinata giggled. "Y-you're welcome."

The two of them sat in comfortable silence until Hinata got off the ground, brushing herself off. "I'm sorry o-our night turned out to be depressing."

Naruto smiled as he took her offered hand and hoisted himself up. "Then we should do something fun tomorrow instead!"

Hinata blinked twice. "Wh-what do you have in mind?"

Naruto's smile immediately turned devious. "Well…"

~o~  
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	4. Day 3

**10 Days**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto Shippuden!**

_Shout out to: Arymed, Rose Tiger, Shay14, forbiddenluv4Naruto, Hina the half heart, "Guest," nhalltheway ,iluvninjas KokoLockhart, misstampede, PsychoticSky, Nahi Shite, Kilalahinanaruto555, Firework's Feelings, and xXYour DoomXx._

_Thanks for the reviews :)_

_**A/N: I totally and completely forgot to tell you guys, but next Sunday I won't be updating. Guess I have no choice but to do it now :)**_

* * *

"I'm s-sorry we couldn't find Kakashi-sensei," Hinata apologized as she entered her room, hot green tea in a porcelain teapot and two cups set on a tray neatly for the two of them. Naruto looked up from his seat of Hinata's _kotatsu_ table and pouted. "It's okay, though I really thought we would have some fun with trying to get his mask off,"

"Didn't you t-try to do that with your team once already?" Hinata asked curiously as she set the tray in between the two of them and poured out the cups.

Naruto sighed glumly, taking his cup disinterestedly. "Yeah, but that wasn't a _real_ attempt. It backfired so badly…"

Hinata giggled behind her cup. "You could do that with your t-team once Sasuke-kun is off of parole."

Naruto scoffed before taking a big gulp of tea, burning his tongue in the process. "Tch! As if Sakura-chan would let him!"

Hinata giggled as she took a dainty sip. "It seems that the weather wasn't in o-our favor either,"

As if on cue, a thundering crack and a flash of lightening had passed as fast as it had come, startling the two shinobi.

Naruto pouted again, leaning on the table with his head resting on his arms. "But I wanted to do something fun…"

Hinata smiled at his childish antics before a suspicious Neji peered into the open room to check up on the heiress before walking ahead, trying hard to seem nonchalant. Hinata glanced and smiled at her cousin before a devious smile stretched her lips.

Her eyes twinkled innocently at Naruto as she tapped his hand vigorously, ignoring her tea.

"Eh?" Naruto looked up, finding the young heiress smiling at him mischievously.

"I have an idea,"

* * *

"What's in it for me?" Hanabi asked suspiciously, swinging her legs off of her bed. Naruto exchanged a glance with Hinata, allowing her to handle the situation.

"Anything you want. Just a-ask." Hinata replied, clasping her hands in front of her. "We need you for only ten minutes, a-at most."

Hanabi sighed, as if considering the offer to hang out with the village hero and her elder, admirable sister. "I don't know, Hina-nee, what if we get caught?"

"Then I'll take the blame," Naruto cut in. The two sisters stared at him before he shrugged, a grin splitting his face. "What? Not like I wreak havoc everywhere I go…"

Hinata shifted her attention to her younger sister. "Anything y-you want," she reminded. "Just name it."

Hanabi grinned, "You have to agree to do it even though I won't name it right now."

Hinata blinked twice, opening her mouth to protest before catching Naruto's curious glance. She closed her mouth, pressing her lips into a defeated thin line. "Fine. It's d-done."

Hanabi's smile grew into a larger grin. "So what are we doing?"

Hinata ushered for the other two of them to put their heads in their tight little triangle. "Neji nii-san p-puts too much effort into keeping his hair lovely. He brushes and washes it until it sh-shines every day."

Hanabi's mouth fell open upon what her elder sister was implying. "Hina nee-chan, that's not a prank, that's _sabotage_!"

"I don't get it…what happens?" Naruto questioned urgently, feeling mildly out of the loop.

Hinata's smile was quick and mischievous, yet nervous as she frantically whipped her head to the side to make sure Hanabi's door was closed. "Lemon juice is known for d-drying out hair since it's so acidic. It could also lighten his hair to a pretty blonde shade i-if he stays out in the sun.

"All we have to do is put a l-lemon juice solution in his shampoo. It'll dry out his h-hair and make it sticky." Hinata reminded. "I have all the ingredients, I just need to mix and pour it i-in the bottle."

"What do I do?" Naruto asked excitedly. Hinata grinned at him. "You're going to p-pick out all of the spindles on his hairbrush so he can't use it."

Hanabi cackled. "That's so _evil_. I'm proud of you nee-san."

"Yeah, Hina-chan, I never knew what an evil mind you had," Naruto added in, an incredulous smile playing on his lips. Hinata blushed, waving away the compliment. "N-no, I just like having fun…"

* * *

"Hana-chan, y-you know what to do, right?" Hinata asked, lavender eyes flitting nervously from the entrance of Neji's bathroom. She had quickly made a flash of lemon juice and sugar to ensure Neji's hair would become more sticky than dry with the lemon juice.

Hanabi nodded, immediately slapping her hands together into signs. With a quick smoke puff that dissipated into air, it was not the short, silver eyed Hyuuga that Naruto expected, yet a spitting image of Tenten.

Tenten's mouth moved, sounding exactly like the younger sister. "Do I look exactly like her?"

Hinata sighed as she gave Hanabi a disapproving glare. "You made her ch-chest too big and her clothes too t-tight."

True to her words and only just noticed by Naruto, Tenten's usual Chinese-style garb was pulled to show off an ample chest, one that the original Tenten lacked. Hanabi shrugged, making Tenten's mouth twist into a wicked smirk. "Well, you said he needed to be distracted,"

Naruto chuckled, "Heh, as if Neji _can_ get distracted."

Hanabi turned to give Naruto a snobbish glare. "You'd be surprised. Every girl knows all she has to do in order to get a man is pull off her-"

Hinata shook her head frantically, waving off the younger girl before she could finish off her sentence. "J-just go. You know what to d-do."

Tenten saluted with a giggle before dashing down the hallway to put their plan in motion. Hinata quickly muttered under her breath, _"Byakugan,"_

Naruto made sure the rusty pliers Hinata had fetched from her gardening supplies was in his pocket. Hinata quickly slid the door to the bath section, slipping in easily. "We have to be f-fast…Hanabi's waiting for him to finish training so she can stall."

Naruto quickly took in his surroundings. The bathroom was small, yes, but still lavish. A tea colored cupboard like cabinet was sitting across the actual drawers which were topped with white marble. A large mirror hung on top of that, the countertop clean and devoid of any mess other than a neatly placed plastic cup of toothbrushes. The light streamed in from a rectangular skylight cut out from the ceiling.

"Don't worry, I got this," Naruto flashed a cocky grin as he watched the heiress glide over to the actual bath room, carefully removing one of the bottles from the shelf that was perched on the side of the tub. He began attending to his own matters, scavenging through the small drawers on the marble countertop where he discovered a wood hairbrush with metal spindles embedded on the cloth-like surface of it. He noticed a single, long strand of coffee colored hair, and immediately realized it was Neji's with a Cheshire cat grin.

"Jackpot," Naruto murmured as he began plucking out the spindles one by one. He even took out the teeth of a comb that he found lying next to it as well.

"H-How are you doing over there?" Hinata asked as she closed the door, though her eyes were trained to the wall past Naruto. The Jinchuuriki grinned as he cackled, holding a handful of bristles in one hand and the bristle-less hairbrush in the other. Hinata's eyes lighted up as a grin of her own formed, holding up the empty flask. Her grin quickly morphed into horror as she continued to see past Naruto.

"We h-have to leave n-now! Neji nii-san saw through Hanabi-chan!" Hinata gasped. Naruto quickly jammed the bristles into his pocket before neatly placing the hairbrush back where it belonged. Hinata quickly gasped and turned paler than before.

"H-he's coming this way…" She breathed heavily. She looked faint; and judging by the way she was fanning herself, she wasn't going to last very soon.

"Shit!" Naruto's heartbeat began accelerating as he began thinking quickly. An idea popped in his mind as his cerulean eyes fell in delight over the cupboard.

Could they both fit in there?

The doorknob turned, Hanabi and Neji's muffled sounds of arguing sneaking through the door. With no time to waste, The Jinchuuriki scooped up the frantic girl in his arms before they dove into the cupboard, closing it just as soon as an agitated Neji stomped into the bathroom. She let out a small cry, but Naruto quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, the other one wrapped around her shoulders and pushing her into his muscular frame, saving them much-needed space.

"Hanabi-sama, I fail to recognize why transforming into a crude, less modest version of Tenten would encourage me to train you."

"Please?! You and Hina-chan train _all_ the time, why not me!?" She asked demandingly. Neji sighed, finishing their argument with a curt nod and closing the door. He exhaled as he turned to the mirror.

Naruto held his breath as he began masking his chakra, giving Hinata a gentle squeeze around the shoulders for her to do the same. The cupboard had slits large enough to see through but not large enough to be seen in, giving the two stowaways a perfect view.

Neji seemed rather unsuspecting as he poked and prodded at his skin delicately, pulling on the flesh on his chin and surveying the necessity of shaving in the mirror as he continued to preen himself. He let out a sigh, his shoulders slumping in relaxation as he relieved his silky strands of his hairband, finger combing the long locks before he actually flipped his hair and began undressing. Naruto chose it was then to look elsewhere, beginning with the wiggling that was against his body.

Hinata tried her hardest not to squeal, but Naruto's body was literally _mashed_ against hers. Her hands were trying effortlessly, gently pushing him away from his stomach so he could liberate her, but instead, they found themselves against chiseled and neatly cut abs, warming her cheeks. She suddenly found herself thankful for the darkness of the cabinet.

Naruto smiling sheepishly as he pulled his hand off of her mouth, but kept his arm around her shoulders in a friendly embrace, letting out a quiet exhale. "Sorry,"

Hinata merely nodded before she looked back out the slits, found herself looking at Neji's bare derrière before Naruto clamped his hand on her mouth again to prevent her from gasping.

Neji stiffened noticeably, sending both the pranksters' hearts on a run before Neji shrugged, sliding open the door to the bath and closing it shut behind him.

Naruto and Hinata simultaneously let out a breath of relief, masked over the sound of running water.

Naruto opened the door as quietly as possible, ushering Hinata to hop out, a huge grin on his face as she unconsciously smiled in return. Hinata twisted the knob as quietly as she could and pulled open the door to their freedom, waving her hand frantically to him with lavender eyes flitting to the bath door, urging him out before she followed quickly in suit. Without any louder sounds, she gently levered the handle back into place, not a single sound made, her shoulders crumpling in relief as she let out a sigh, feeling the thudding and pounding of her heart quickly cease.

As she turned around, she was met with Naruto, grinning wildly. Before Hinata could say another word, Naruto scooped her up, running as fast as he could back to her room before encasing her in one of the most bone-crushing hugs Hinata had ever felt. Her face burned up while Naruto laughed, swinging her around like she was a child.

"Oh, my _Kami_, Hinata! That was _great_! I can't believe you would think of something so evil! _And_ we didn't get caught!" Naruto laughed as he placed Hinata down, the heiress now slightly disheveled due to the playfulness of the Jinchuuriki.

Hinata's mouth spread into a grin of her own. "We…we actually pranked N-Neji nii-san…"

Naruto nodded excitedly, blue eyes glittering excitedly as Hinata closed her eyes, her grin turning wider as she laughed in disbelief. "Oh my Kami…we s-sabotaged Neji nii-san…"

Naruto watched the heiress laugh and run a hand through her hair, her face tinged pink and victory sparkling in her eyes before a thought crossed his mind.

_Hinata Hyuuga is a fun person_.

* * *

REVIEWWW


	5. Day 4

**10 Days**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto Shippuden!**

_Shout out to: Arymed, Titokhan, itanejiluver, MrClosedEyes, paracuties, Qchessy, forbiddenluv4naruto, Fher34, "Guest," xXYour DoomXx, Nahi Shite, Hiccuproars, Shay14, Kilalahinanaruto555, kika04, Firework's Feelings and yuuki-baka for all reviewing!_

_Have I mentioned how much i love each and every one of you? :)_

_**A/N: College is too much. High school inadequately prepares you.**_

* * *

"Man, I can't _believe_ he obliterated the training posts in the fields!" Naruto laughed as he walked alongside Hinata to Kurenai-sensei's apartment. His eyes were set on Hinata's smaller figure with his arms folded behind his head as he grinned cheekily at Hinata, the shorter kunoichi using a hand to cover her open-mouthed laughs that escaped her in remembrance of Neji's reaction.

"I can't believe he c-could let out such a…_feminine_ scream." Hinata added in shyly, her cheeks turning pink with excitement. "That was so much fun though,"

Naruto put a hand on Hinata's head, playfully messing up her hair as she glared back at him. "Yeah, well I can't believe you could think of something so genius. He's going to be as blonde as Ino for how long again?"

"I may have a-accidentally made the mixture too strong." Hinata frowned. "I think his hair will return to its healthiness in two weeks if he uses the herbal shampoo I gave him."

Naruto laughed anyways. "Whatever. Just watching him freak out like that _totally_ makes me glad that we didn't get to prank Kaka-sensei."

Hinata nodded in affirmation, bangs bouncing. "Me too. You know, y-you don't have to come along with me today."

"Why not? I think baby-sitting sounds fun. Besides, what else could we do?" Naruto shrugged. Hinata coughed quietly. "Babies are a lot of work, actually."

Naruto passed her a cocky grin, flexing his muscles through his t-shirt for her. "Please, I've won a _war_. How bad can baby-sitting be?"

* * *

"Hinata! Make it stop crying! _OW!_" Naruto wailed as he bounced the screaming infant uselessly. Baby Akio screamed and balled his tiny fists in Naruto's hair, furthermore aggravating Naruto, and furthermore increasing the volume of his cries. Hinata sighed, turning to Shikamaru as Naruto continued to scream from the living room.

"You sure you'll be okay covering for me?" Shikamaru asked, eyes trained on Naruto's hopping figure. "Seems like you got two kids to take care of."

Hinata shook her head, smiling. "Don't worry about me, Shikamaru-kun, I love children. You should go help Kurenai-sensei with Asuma-sensei's shrine visit now."

Shikamaru sighed, his hand scratching the back of his head. "Thanks Hinata-chan. I owe you."

Hinata grinned as she shut the door, waving him goodbye. She sighed as she turned around, finding Naruto holding out the crying baby an arm's length away while his shirt was covered in milky baby vomit. Hinata tried hard not to laugh. "Oh dear,"

"I _hate_ children," Naruto seethed as he angrily stomped into the bathroom to wash off. Hinata frowned at the mess Akio had made on himself before she realized the poor thing needed a _lot_ of taking care of.

"Aww, Akio-chan, was Naruto-kun being a meanie to you?" Hinata asked gently as she carried him into his nursery, his clothes soggy from the mess he made. Akio looked back up at her with large and curious eyes, button nose still red and cheeks wet. Hinata laid him down on the changing table, undoing the buttons of his gray onesie pajama. "It's too hot for your cute little onesie! And look at the mess you made on yourself, Akio-chan,"

Hinata grinned at the baby, not feeling stupid at all as she liberated Akio entirely of his clothes while making stupid noises and faces at him. He gurgled happily, spitting and flailing his limbs excitedly as his naked flesh was now freed. Hinata laughed, planting a kiss on his forehead as she dampened a washcloth and cleaned his face, now turning to give attention to the particular nasty smell radiating from his bottom.

"What smells so _bad_?!" Naruto screeched, startling both the baby and Hinata. Akio's eyes immediately watered over, balled up fists flailing in the air as he let out another shriek.

"Naruto-kun, you have to be g-gentler when the baby is around! You'll scare him if you're too loud." Hinata scolded as she scooped Akio back up, patting him comfortingly on the back before he let out a content sigh. She settled him back down, her finger wrapped in his palm. "Naruto-kun is so mean to you, isn't he, Akio-chan?"

Akio let out another spit bubble and began sucking on his toes. Naruto frowned, glaring at the baby before pointing at him accusingly. "_He_ started it! He pulled my hair hard!"

Hinata merely shook her head, smiling as she got out all the things necessary. "Akio-chan needs a diaper change."

"Oh, gross!" Naruto wrinkled his nose distastefully. Hinata laughed. "Come here and watch. He'll probably need another one in about two hours, and you're going to help me."

"What!? No way!" Naruto put his arms up in an 'X' over his torso. Hinata shrugged indifferently. "Fine, then I _won't_ make r-ramen for dinner tonight."

"Scoot over," Naruto grumbled as he took his spot, awaiting instructions from Hinata.

* * *

"You don't know how to h-hold a baby?" Hinata asked in genuine curiosity as Naruto washed his hands for the nth time, despite the fact he hadn't made that much of a mess and the imprints of a clothespin were still fresh on his nose to block the vile scent of Akio's diaper. Naruto burned red, still glowering as he pouted and turned away from Hinata, occupied with the baby on her lap. Akio was now donned in a tiny little navy yukata that was loose enough for him to pull his toes up to his mouth. He remain sitting, sucking away happily on his toes in Hinata's lap with his head on her forearm and the rest of his body splayed across her legs.

Naruto sat next to her on the couch, but far enough so he could glare at the baby that caused him so much trouble and pain without Hinata yelling at him.

"N-no, but who has time to be taking care of babies when there are enemies to be fought?!" Naruto snapped. Hinata grinned shyly. "Would you like to hold him, N-Naruto-kun?"

"He'll cry," Naruto shook his head no. Hinata giggled, shifting Akio so he was upright again. "No, he won't. It's almost time for him to be fed a-anyways,"

"No way, Hina-chan. That _thing_ is going to go ballistic!" Naruto pointed accusingly at the oblivious gurgling offending object.

She smiled as a chuckle escaped her. "Naruto-kun, come here,"

Naruto sighed as he scooted closer to her, noticing how her legs were dangerously close to touching his. Hinata shifted the baby once more. "Put one hand behind his head. You don't have to be afraid. He isn't made of glass."

Naruto did as was told, gulping as one hand fit behind the infants head, feeling the soft thin bristles of hair against his palm. Hinata nodded, grinning as she took his other hand and fit it over Akio's bottom. "See? You're holding him."

Naruto grinned as Akio was now lying down on his lap with his tiny feet kicking jerkily at the Jinchuuriki's stomach. The new warmth on his body was unfamiliar; an entirely new experience. The baby squirmed for a few seconds before he got comfortable enough to suck on his fist, the war hero mimicking Hinata's original position so Akio's tiny form was sprawled across his legs. Naruto's eyes widened as an excited grin pleased his lips. "Hinata-chan, I'm holding him!"

She grinned back at him radiantly, reaching down for Akio to curl his chubby fingers around her much bigger but slender digit. "You're doing great, Naruto-kun! I'm going to be right back, I promise."

Hinata got up, promptly leaving to fix Akio's bottle as Naruto looked down at the baby, studying his features closely. Tiny little fists were groping the air as Akio kicked about spasmodically.

"You're so tiny," Naruto complained as he cradled Akio's head again and moved so the Jinchuuriki's blue eyes could meet Akio's curious ones. "And I'm afraid you'll start crying any minute now."

The infant responded with a gurgle. Naruto frowned. "You find that funny? Yeah, well try _this_ for funny,"

His fingers now found themselves tickling the sliver of fat that formed under Akio's chin. Naruto's grin turned wider as he watched Akio squirm about as a smile of his own spread on his tiny little mouth, forming a toothless grin, baby laughter escaping him. Naruto continued, chuckles of his own betraying him before Akio had caught onto his own finger, ceasing him from tickling him furthermore.

Naruto tried to pry off the tiny things hands off of him, but _damn_. "You got a pretty strong hold there, kiddo. Maybe you'll become a ninja too."

Akio gurgled as he tried to push Naruto's finger in his mouth. The hero took away his finger with a slight frown, instead blowing up his cheeks and widening his eyes to bulge. Naruto grinned before making a series of other stupid faces, this time sucking his cheeks in and pushing his eyebrows far up his forehead. He undid the single button that held the front of Akio's yukata, exposing a tiny little belly button embedded in chubby pinkish flesh. He leaned down with a mischievous grin, blowing gently as he saw a smile on Akio's face, the baby signaling his excitement with rapid flaps of his arms. Naruto grinned before pressing his mouth to Akio's belly and blowing a raspberry. Akio laughed harder than before. Naruto could tell because it was silent this time. "You find that funny, baby!? I'll make you laugh harder next time!"

The Jinchuuriki himself laughed again at the expression Akio made before repeating, the infant gurgling and spluttering. "Who's a funny little baby!? _You_ are!"

Naruto lifted Akio by the armpits, holding him up above as the child shrieked in delight at the new height he gained. Naruto brought him back down, blowing raspberries and making funny face the entire time.

Naruto was about to bring him back up again before he heard a gently cough, startling him. Hinata grinned at him expectantly, eyes twinkling with excitement as Naruto sheepishly returned Akio (much to his disappointment) back in his original position.

"D-don't say anything. I didn't want him to cry."

Hinata shrugged. "I never said anything, Naruto-kun."

Naruto blushed a vibrant red, embarrassed at being caught. "You would have done the same thing,"

"I know. That's why I'm laughing," Hinata giggled, holding out her arms for the baby. Naruto frowned as he returned an eager Akio back to the heiress, the Jinchuuriki's eyes never leaving Hinata as she sat criss-cross and laid Akio across her lap. Akio groped the air for his bottle before Hinata slipped it in his mouth, now both teens watching Akio lap up the milk greedily in silence. Naruto's eyes once again traveled from the baby to the young woman who was lightly and gently bouncing the baby. Indigo locks of hair were tied back, but a few unkempt strands suited her as her ponytail slipped down her restricted wave of hair. She was smiling softly and tenderly at the baby; it wasn't even her own but Naruto could practically _see_ how much she loved baby Akio in her arms. Her lavender eyes were trained solely and completely on the infant, and it wasn't long before she seemed to forget Naruto was there because she began humming a quiet tune to Akio as he reached the half-mark of his bottle.

The way her arms fit the baby would make one think Akio didn't even need a cradle. Naruto studied her carefully. "You can take care of kids really well for a kunoichi."

Hinata chuckled quietly, lowering her voice as her eyes finally strayed from Akio. "I spend a lot of time taking care of newborns from the Branch and Main houses. I love children."

Naruto noticed Akio's grip slackening on the bottle, signaled by a loose fist falling off the plastic surface. The Jinchuuriki weaved his finger through the baby's smaller digits. "I think you'd be a great mom,"

Hinata blushed as lilac eyes accidentally locked on to cerulean. She held his gaze with a shy smile. "Thank you. I think you'd make a great father,"

Naruto grinned, putting his hand over the heiress' smaller hand and tipping the bottle so the rest of the milk could escape into Akio's mouth. The infant's breathing was now growing steady and heavy, a sliver of his eyes showing as he fought stubbornly against sleep. Hinata didn't seem unfazed. "Everything changes when you have a child,"

Naruto nodded solemnly, memories of his deceased parents' legacies coming to mind. "If I ever become a dad, I'd give up everything to keep my kid safe. Even my own life if I have to."

Hinata tilted her head to watch Naruto with his brow slightly creased, but his eyes downcast on the baby. She swallowed thickly. "I would too."

"That means we'll be awesome parents," Naruto let a breath of laughter escape as Hinata looked back down at Akio, his bottle finished and sleeping snuggly in her arms. A warm smile spread across both the teens' faces as Naruto plucked the empty bottle and placed it on the floor, eagerly asking to hold the baby now. The mood had become quietly exciting as Naruto's hands fell over Hinata's as he took the baby from her, adjusting him so Akio napped quietly against the Jinchuuriki instead. Naruto stole a glance at the kunoichi next to him, watching as she smiled adoringly at the child curled up in his arms before she looked up at him, her lips spreading into an even wider grin.

Naruto's heart skipped a beat.

* * *

Cute, right?


	6. Day 5

**10 Days**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto Shippuden!**

_Shout out to: xXYour DoomXx, Arymed, kiyone110, Nore123, Rose Tiger, Ookami88, WritingForMuffins, Titokhan, nhalltheway, ZodiacBirdy, NaruHinaUntilTheEnd, Hiccuproars, Kilalahinanaruto555, tactics2012, Midnight's Falling Star, MrSwaggafiel, Eerie Ava, and "Guest" for all reviewing! You guys are the greatest guys ever!_

**_A/N: Almost 90 reviews and only five chapter!? I AM NOT WORTHY! Sooo since i updated the last chapter a day late, you get this one a day early :) Enjoy, my gems!_**

* * *

Naruto looked down at the white paper box, tied with a red ribbon in his hands before coughing sheepishly. "Ano…Ino told me to deliver this to you and to keep it upright at all times."

"Oh, so you weren't here just to see m-me?" Hinata quipped with a giggle and a gentle smile as she sat with her legs folded under her by her _kotatsu_table. "What did Ino-chan send me…?"

"Well, actually, Sakura-chan asked me to get some flowers for Sasuke's apartment but then I remembered that you liked pressing flowers, so I decided to grab some for you too," Naruto explained before becoming flustered at the sight of Hinata's arched brow and expectant smile. He began waving his arms frantically. "Not like a-all romantic like with roses! Something friendly! Like daisies or something! But then Ino told me to give this to you and that's why neither you nor Sakura-chan have flowers!"

Hinata let out a gentle stream of laughter as she shook her head, "Thank you, N-Naruto-kun. You delivering this is enough."

Naruto exhaled sharply before glowering at the floor while Hinata delicately laid down the box, opening it with precision before gasping with shock. The Jinchuuriki leaned up to look at the contents before slumping back on his heels, disappointed. "It's just a flower,"

"Not _just_ a flower, Naruto-kun!" Hinata got up excitedly, gingerly carrying the box to a desk pushed to the side of her simple room. She tucked her hair behind her ears as a huge grin spread on her rosy lips, excitement drawing her breath. "This is a Middlemist R-red…it's one of the rarest flowers in Suna-no, the _world!_"

Naruto arched a brow as he got up, joining the hyped heiress, taking a moment to scan over the supposed rare flora as Hinata fumbled around her desk.

Delicate. That's what the flower was. It was a pretty flower, with pink-hued petals arranged symmetrically and neatly into a spiraling fan outwards, similar to a rose. However, each petal was translucent, and Naruto could very easily make out the veins that ran through each soft, flimsy part of flora. The dark green stem seemed the exact opposite; tough, strong and not easily destroyed.

"It's b-beautiful, isn't it?" Hinata sighed happily as she finally picked up the flower, cradling it gently with one hand cupping the petals and the other gently holding the stem between two fingers, laying it down on special parchment paper. "There are only a few of these that g-grow every year in Suna, at the very bottom of the Howling Valley, which is extremely d-difficult to reach."

"That means somebody must have really wanted those flowers," Naruto scoffed as he watched the lavender eyed beauty begin arranging the petals and stem on the folded piece of parchment, her mouth puckered into a frown as she formulated the perfect setting for the flower. When she was done, a satisfied grin spread on her face as she carefully slid the paper onto an open book. Naruto watched the gentle heiress carefully fold over the paper to envelop the flower entirely before shutting the book, adding two or three more on top before leaning back from her work, a happy grin on her face. "All done! Now this flower is going to be preserved for a long time. Let's go say thank you to Ino-chan,"

"But I already saw her…" Naruto groaned as he followed out the heiress out of her room. Hinata giggled, spinning on her heel to face him. "That's fine, you can stay here and give N-Neji nii-san company since he's a-adamant on staying home until his hair goes back to normal,"

"Wait, wait, wait, I still have to pick up flowers for Sasuke's apartment! I'm coming with you!" Naruto called after her.

* * *

"My okaa-san used to have books u-upon books of pressed flowers when she was still alive," Hinata said dreamily as the duo walked out of the Hyuuga complex. Naruto arched a brow. "Is that why you do it?"

"N-no," Hinata confessed, "I just like preserving the b-beauty of things that are evanescent,"

"Evana-what?" Naruto managed as he gave the Hyuuga a pointed look. Hinata shook her head, a small chuckle escaping her. "_Evanescent_. It means 'not lasting very long,'"

"Oh," Naruto replied thoughtfully before snapping his fingers, "Battle scars are _evanescent_,"

Hinata grinned at the use of his newly acquired of vocabulary. "Flowers are _evanescent_,"

"Ramen is _evanescent_,"

Hinata let out a gentle laugh. "That's only for you, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto laughed along with her. "Well, it's true! Let's see, what else…"

"Feelings can sometimes be evanescent," Hinata pointed out. Naruto arched a brow at her statement but Hinata beat him to it, "Like anger. Anger d-doesn't last very long,"

"Unless you're Sasuke, then yes, it doesn't." Naruto agreed, "But neither does happiness,"

"So feelings are, indeed, _evanescent_," Hinata giggled before she coughed awkwardly. "I think…never mind."

"No, wait, you were going to say something!" Naruto stopped the young woman in the middle of the street, the daily bustle moving on between them. He caught Hinata's shoulders, the smaller woman hunched so her face was hidden. "I demand to know what you were going to say!"

"P-Promise me you won't l-laugh?" Hinata looked up at him unsurely. Naruto agreed, holding out his pinky. "I swear."

Hinata joined pinkies with him before leaning in to whisper hesitantly, "I think the o-only feeling that l-lasts forever i-is…"

"Is…" Naruto ushered her to continue, waiting. Hinata took a deep breath before finishing,

"_Love_. Love l-lasts f-forever,"

Hinata hid behind her hands as Naruto blinked twice to look at the young woman before reaching up to remove her hands, finding her face vibrantly red.

"I think it's silly that you think it's something to be ashamed of to tell," Naruto grinned at her, chuckling. "I also think…yeah. Love _does_ last forever, even if it's not with the same person, because you'll always love your family, or your friends, or your…your crush,"

Both of them made eye contact with each other, holding for three intense seconds before looking away and blushing ferociously.

"A-ano, Hinata-chan? Can I ask you something?"

"Mmhmm."

"How did you know it was love?"

Hinata turned pink before staring at her shoes. "Y-you go first,"

Naruto frowned. "But I asked first!"

"But I told you s-something that I th-thought was silly!" Hinata argued back, her eyes pleading with his. "I pr-promise I'll tell you, but you have to tell me first,"

"Fine. Let's sit on that bench there," Naruto dragged the young heiress off to the side so they could sit together. "Now let's see…when I realized I was in love with Sakura-chan, I thought it was because she was so perfect and I _hated_ whenever she hung out with other guys. She was smart, confident, and perfect. It bothered me every time she was upset, and I tried to be there for her all the time, but you see how that worked out. Your turn." The Jinchuuriki finished, clasping his together and waiting for the Hyuuga to begin.

Hinata blinked. "Th-that's it?"

Naruto arched a brow. "Is there supposed to be more?"

Hinata buried her face in her hands, ashamed. "Now I feel r-really, _really_ stupid…"

"What?! Why?" Naruto asked concernedly. Hinata sighed, her face still pink. "It's sort of a l-long story…"

"And Yamanaka's doesn't close until later. Tell," Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back and ready to hear. Hinata let out a small sigh. "Do me a f-favor and don't laugh, please?"

"I promise." Naruto nodded, ushering her to continue. Hinata took a deep breath, "Starting f-from when I w-was four or f-five years old, I spent the majority of the time in my o-okaa-san's garden. I t-took care of the koi pond and flowers that grew there along w-with the gardeners. I f-felt like an outsider at home because my f-father was always d-disappointed in me, and Neji nii-san didn't like me, and the m-main house wanted m-me out,

Hinata exhaled quietly, her voice faltering as she cleared her throat. "Th-that garden was my s-safe haven. No one could g-give me looks of disgust or hate me while I was in there. I even asked to move rooms so I could be closer to it, and at night, I would sometimes sneak out so I could be with the plants. I hated leaving okaa-san's garden. It was the one place where I didn't have to be afraid of anything or anyone. I was free there."

Hinata's stutter began to wane as her voice grew dreamy, a faraway look in her eyes as her gaze remain glued on her fingers. "But then the Ninja Academy started when we were six. I was so petrified, my caretaker, Ko-san, had to drag me out of my garden to take me there.

"I hated the idea of leaving somewhere because I was so used to everyone looking at me and hearing whispers about what a failure I was and how useless I was. But one day, that all changed," Hinata paused carefully to look at the Jinchuuriki. Naruto leaned in towards her, eyes flickering downward so her could put his hand comfortingly over hers before he met her gaze again. Hinata swallowed, continuing, "When school was done for the day, I wandered off and became prey for a couple of bullies. They saw my eyes and immediately claimed I thought I was better than them and started pushing me around,"

"No one was there to help you?" Naruto asked quietly, brow furrowed. Hinata let out an exhale, a smile accompanying. "_You_. You were there to save me."

Naruto blinked twice, slowly scratching his head. "I don't really remember,"

Hinata smiled somberly. "I didn't think you would. Something as insignificant as this is hardly worth remembering, but even after my caretaker tore me away from the spot, I couldn't stop thinking about how brave and admirable you were."

The young heiress got up, stretching, "I'd been planning on telling you, but I just…I just never really got the chance. Days eventually turned into weeks, weeks into years, and now this is where I am."

Naruto leaned onto his palm, ingesting her speech. "Then…then how did you know it was…you know, love?"

Hinata turned on her heel, her eyes confident yet faraway. "Because I didn't mind leaving my garden if it meant seeing you just once more."

* * *

"Ne, Sasuke-kun, what do you think of these flowers?"

"Hm,"

"I think they'll look so pretty on your kitchen table!"

"We are _not_ putting flowers in my house."

"But _Sasuke-kun_, you're house is so drab and boring and depressing! You have to lighten it up with something!"

"_No. Flowers."_

Sakura pouted as she dejectedly placed a small bouquet mixed with various blue flowers back in their booth. "You never let me do anything..."

"I let you be my caretaker," Sasuke retorted, scowling at the flowers before him. The two of them stood together in between two aisles of vibrantly colored flowers, arranged in color order.

Sakura threw him a nasty look. "I'm _assigned_ to be your _parole officer_."

"I'm still letting you do it." Sasuke shrugged. "We're going home now. These flowers are starting to give me a headache."

"Stupid Naruto," Sakura sighed as she grabbed the bouquet she held before, making her way to the counter. "I sent him with only _one_ task, and he totally forgets! Kami knows where he is now..."

"He's delivering a _very important _package to our favorite Hyuuga," Ino leaned on the counter she was attending as she took the bouquet from her friends' hands. "Hey Forehead. Sasuke-kun,"

"An important package?" Sakura's pink brows knit together. "Like what?"

Ino excitedly took in a deep breath, her cheeks becoming rosy with the sudden gossip session. "You can't tell anyone, not even Hina-chan, got it?"

"I promise," Sakura put a hand over her heart. Sasuke felt the stares of both young women on him. "What?"

"You have to promise too, or else you're not allowed to hear." Ino put her hands on her hips as she glared at him in mock-sass. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'll be waiting outside."

As the two of the kunoichi watched his retreating figure, the excitedly looked back at each other and began speaking in hushed tones.

Ino began the conversation, sky blue eyes flitting rapidly from corner to corner of the room before she met Sakura's jade orbs. "The package was specifically and specially delivered as an S-rank mission _all the way from Suna _just for Hinata. It was totally anonymous, and it came in this fancy box tied with a ribbon. It was sent to me so I could take care of the contents properly before the package was delivered."

Sakura's mouth dropped agape. "You mean...?"

Ino nodded her head excitedly as she bit her lip, platinum blonde ponytail swishing. "Hina-chan has a _secret admirer_!"

* * *

What's this?! I sense rising action!


	7. Day 6

**10 Days**

_Shout out to my homies:__Rose Tiger, Titokhan, Kilalahinanaruto555, Nahi Shite, Firework's Feelings, CrystalBud, "Guest," "Guest," Meiwa Chinmoku, Shay14, Midnight's Falling Star, Shonny, Zamoria, Arymed, David Parrish, nhalltheway, Duesal, Shisenki, xXYour DoomXx, Queen-Mischief, kika04, MrSwaggafield, Hailbara, "Guest," NaruHinaUntilTheEnd, mino-saur, YungHime, HiccupRoars, and Eerie Ava for the awesome, positive reviews!_

_You guys are the greatest!_

**A/N: 130 + reviews?! I am SO not worthy!**

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this, Hina-chan? I'm really afraid that I'm going to hurt you." Naruto said uneasily as he scratched the back of his tousled blonde head.

The Hyuuga heiress smiled back radiantly at Naruto. She stretched, displaying her long, toned legs in a pair of baggy short, traded her jacket for only the short-sleeved mesh material that she normally wore underneath, and still able to look classy and hot at the same time. Her hair was tied up into a genie ponytail, long locks of indigo hair swaying as she got up and began stretching her arms. "Don't doubt me, Naruto-kun. I want to train with you."

The Jinchuuriki shrugged out of his own jacket, revealing his tanned and already-glistening six-pack. "I'm not saying that I doubt you, all I'm saying is that you're sort of…delicate."

Hinata's eyes flicked downwards, her tone mysterious. "We'll see."

The Jinchuuriki blinked twice. She didn't even blush…?

His thoughts were immediately swayed when she turned her back to him, obliviously bending over to touch her bare toes.

Naruto's eyes were glued to her backside, watching as the Hyuuga unconsciously began seducing him.

It didn't help with her shorts riding up higher than they already were.

Naruto could instantly feel the pressure of a nosebleed begin to build as he blushed, trying to pry away his wandering and shameless eyes, but _damn_ she had a nice butt.

"Dobe,"

Both Hinata and Naruto looked up, somewhat surprised to see the infamous avenger…_without_ Sakura.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun," Hinata greeted, her smile small. Said man grunted, jamming his hands further down his shorts. "Hyuuga,"

"Ne, what the hell are you doing here? And where's Sakura-chan?" Naruto's brow furrowed as he looked around the vast, empty training field for a familiar head of bright pink hair. The raven haired man shrugged. "She knows where I am."

"What do you want, then? Me and Hina-chan have a training session right now!" Naruto threw his arm around said woman to make his point. Hinata shrugged out of his grip, mock glaring at him as she gently berated the blonde. "Don't be mean, Naruto-kun. Sasuke-kun doesn't need a reason to stay here. He can do whatever he'd like."

Naruto grinned back at Hinata, but it slowly disappeared as he caught Sasuke's lips turn into a smirk as it was now _his _turn to do the unbelievable.

The avenger _slid an arm over Hinata's shoulders_, startling the both of them.

"Yeah dobe," Sasuke smirked. "I don't need a reason to be here,"

And for some odd reason, Naruto felt the urgent need to punch him in the face.

* * *

Two hours into their session.

Kunais flew.

Bruises were formed. Blood splattered.

And she was _still_ going strong. Naruto panted as a simple taijutsu battle turned into a stamina competition to see who could last the longest, and currently, Hinata was leading the advantage. With her nimble and flexible body, she was able to block almost every hit, bust a few of his minor chakra points and somehow evade every single one of his attacks. He didn't want to hurt her, so instead he was playing the defense position, but it seemed that Hinata _wanted_ to lay a few bruises on him.

_But_ he was distracted, so it wasn't fair.

First off, her mesh material was totally _see-through_. It didn't help that her cleavage was practically glistening, and he had no idea how many times he had accidentally touched her chest. Not that he wanted to think of it, but he was a _boy_ before a _gentleman_.

And then secondly, and Naruto couldn't fathom a reason as to why, but Sasuke decided to just sit criss-cross on the grass, and just watch.

And the trained Jinchuuriki could follow eye-movements really well, so it was obvious that Sasuke wasn't trained on formulating the next move his blonde best friend was going to pull out next

Nope. Onyx eyes were glued, watching every single movement that the Hyuuga hatched.

Naruto glanced, his heart tugging him as he saw Sasuke blink specifically in the heiress' direction. It _bothered_ him. He wasn't sure if Sasuke was being perverted or calculating or what, but he wanted his eyes off of his Hina-chan right _now_.

Of course, Naruto took a few mandatory measures…like blocking his view. An hour into the battle, when he first noticed, he decided he'd randomly pull out a few shadow clones to keep him company, and then a few more to keep track of how many hits each opponent landed.

But nay, none of it was working. Sasuke got annoyed with their constant chatter and destroyed them on the spot, instead telling the duo that he would keep track of who and what.

Naruto easily evaded a open-palmed hit, instead retaliating back, "How much longer can you go?"

Hinata panted heavily. "Are you tired?"

Naruto nodded, dropping onto the floor with his limbs outspread as Hinata bent her knees to catch her breath, sitting beside him.

"How'd we do, Sasuke-kun?" Hinata called out to him in between heavy, labored breaths. Sasuke shrugged as he skipped right over Naruto and plopped down next to the Hyuuga. "Not bad. Hinata, you got a total of seventy-four hits on him. He only hit you thirty one times."

"That's a lie!" Naruto shot straight up, getting ready to argue with him. Anger boiled inside of him in disbelief. "I totally got way more than that!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Dobe, look at your body. She has only a few cuts and bruises. You look like as if you just got mobbed."

Cerulean eyes blinked twice as Hinata giggled. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun. Maybe if you weren't afraid of hitting me, you would have won this spar."

Naruto grumbled under his breath. "Didn't realize I was sparring a taijutsu expert..."

Hinata tilted her head back and laughed. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. But I had fun, so thank you for sparring with me."

She got up, brushing the dirt off the back of her legs. Without any notice, she unscrewed the lid of her water bottle, and tipped the entirety of the contents on her.

Blue and onyx eyes widened as the water ran down her body, past and through her mesh shirt and dibbing into her cleavage, rolling out of her belly button, making her skin sparkle even more.

"I'm glad we did this, Naruto-kun," Hinata said as she retrieved her bag off the grass. The sound of her voice awoke both of them out of their reverie. "I think I've improved a bit. I better get going now. Father probably wants to hear of my training today."

"Hyuuga, wait," Sasuke got up as well, blocking her path from going anywhere. "Next time, me and you are training."

Hinata blinked twice uneasily. "What?"

"You heard me." Sasuke crossed his arms. "You're moves are clean. But next time, we're using ninjutsu too. Got it?"

Hinata nodded slowly as the avenger smirked at her. "Later."

It wasn't long before he was out of sight. Hinata turned to Naruto, helping him off the ground. She looked at him unsurely, her voice hesitant. "That…that wasn't like him, right?"

Naruto never felt the urge to obliterate something as much as he did now.

* * *

Jealousy! Jealous Naruto= drama! Sorry this chapter isn't extremely over the top, but I'm promising you, the next chapter is when all the drama unfolds.


	8. Day 7

**10 Days**

_Thanks to: "SaphireDragon15," ZodiacBirdy, mino-saur, MrSwaggafield,xXYour DoomXx, Midnight's Falling Star, Freedom-Sparks361, Nahi Shite,Titokhan, Shay14, Ayrmed, Rose Tiger, Fher13, missstampede,narujordanna,Eerie Ava, Delicatelyplaced, YungHime, "anonymousP," NaruHinaUntilTheEnd, Shisenki, kika04, "Guest," PsychoticSky, tactics2012, WoHoYo, "Guest," nhalltheway, Hiccuproars, Kilalahinanaruto555, and Dani Stark for all reviewing._

You guys are the greatest! This fic has gotten 160+ reviews and 8000+ hits! You guys are the greatests readers EVER!I love you all!

* * *

"Sasuke-kun…_trained_ you this morning?" Sakura's brows were furrowed together. Ino cautiously flit glances between her pinkette and her bluenette. Hinata's lavender eyes fell to her porcelain steaming cup of cinnamon green tea as she saw Sakura's grip tighten on her own. Perhaps lunch wasn't the best time to discuss these things…

"Forehead, don't get so worked up," Ino put a hand on Sakura's shoulder, breaking the silence. "He only trained her,"

"But Sasuke-kun _lives_ with me and he barely even offers to help _clean_!" Sakura nearly yelled. Hinata sighed. "Sakura-chan, please don't get the wrong message. I don't like Sasuke-kun in that respect…at all. He told me to meet up with him at the training grounds this morning. What else was I to do?"

Hinata put a hand over Sakura's pale eyes pleading with emerald. "I promise you, I have no feelings for him. But, as your friend, I thought it was necessary to tell you."

Sakura sighed as her shoulders slumped in defeat. "I'm sorry, Hinata-chan. It's just-I dunno."

Ino and the bluenette exchanged concerned glances before the platinum blonde reached over from her side of the table next to Hinata to pat Sakura on the shoulder. "Boy troubles?"

Sakura groaned, dropping her skewer of dango and burying her head on her hands. "Don't even get me started."

Hinata felt a small wave of relief as the tension between her and her pink-haired friend dissipate.

"When I was assigned his parole officer, I understood that he'd be all grouchy and aloof and everything," Sakura began, fiddling with a lock of bubble-gum hair. "But I guess that's just the way he is now. It's almost _unbelievable_ to me that despite the fact we're practically room-mates, he pushes me away and starts hanging out with other girls,"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Honey, that's exactly your problem,"

Sakura arched a brow. "What do you mean?"

Hinata mimicked Sakura, eyes curious in wonder as Ino's smile turned into a proud and sly grin. She leaned into the center of the table. "Listen, ladies, and listen well. I have the secret for getting any man you want, whenever you want."

Both avid listeners were now interested.

"Anytime?" Sakura asked hopefully. Ino nodded, flipping her long ponytail as she casually looked at her nails. "It's almost child's play to me,"

"What is it?" Sakura practically begged. "Tell me!"

Ino sighed and rolled her eyes. "See, this is your problem, Forehead. You're _desperate_."

Sakura's eyes narrowed as a vein popped on her forehead. She spoke through gritted teeth, "What?"

Ino looked at her meaningfully. "Look, Sakura, you want Sasuke-kun right? So you try to accommodate him in every way you can. You clean up for him, you cook his meals, you do _everything_."

Sakura crossed her arms. "What's your point, Ino?"

"I'm saying that you're so desperate for his attention, you'd do _anything_ for him. And he _knows_ that. And he's _taking advantage _of it, whether he realizes it or not. So, if he knows he's got you wrapped 'round his finger, why should he bother impressing you? In fact, he might even get bored of you." Ino explained. Both girls lips parted at the newfound information.

"Which also explains why a certain Jinchuuriki has been on your trail forever. Because you don't give him that attention." Ino added in.

Hinata sat back. "Everything makes sense now,"

"Oh my Kami…" Sakura inhaled slowly. "I've become so available, he doesn't want it!"

"Hard to get, babe." Ino took a bite out of her dango. "Play hard to get, and I promise, you'll have him in no time."

* * *

"So….how was training with Hinata?" Naruto asked cautiously as he watched Sasuke pick out tomatoes as if he actually had a clue as to which ones were ripe and which ones weren't. "Fine,"

"Did you hurt her?"

"You could ask her yourself."

"Was she any good?"

"Decent enough."

"Did you-"

Sasuke whirled around, an annoyed glare on his face. "Why are you asking _me_ these questions? Ask her."

Naruto put up his hands in defense as he pouted and turned up his nose. "I'm just curious,"

"Well stop being curious," Sasuke resumed tending to the tomato stall. "You sound like you're jealous,"

Naruto blinked twice while his best friend continued with his groceries. Sasuke noticed the silence as he pasued what he was doing, slowly turning to his friend. "You _are_ jealous, _aren't_ you?"

The rambunctious blonde struck a strange pose as he flailed his arms around in anxiety. "Wh-what?! No I'm not!"

The avenger rolled his eyes, paying the stall owner before facing his friend. "Then it shouldn't bother you that I'm asking her to come with me to the summer festival tomorrow. Anyways, we should find Sakura now. I want to go home."

The Jinchuuriki's heart dropped, but he ignored it as he spoke quietly. "I think she's at the dango shop."

Sasuke looked pensive before letting out an annoyed breath and grabbing the Jinchuuriki's arm roughly.

"Ow!" Naruto cried out. "What the hell is that for!?"

Sasuke sat him down on the bench. "You're jealous. Admit it. I don't want bullshit."

The blonde took in the words, his heartbeat becoming heavier as he spoke dejectedly. "Does it even matter?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Quit being melodramatic. I was kidding about taking her to the summer festival too, and we had no physical contact while training. I just made her shoot some chakra needles in the middle of some leaves to work on her aim."

Naruto blinked twice, though an unfathomable cloud of relief rained over him. "Why are you telling me this?"

"You're an _idiot_," Sasuke groaned. "You're jealousy is really damn obvious and annoying."

He then smirked. "It was fun yesterday when I put my arm around her shoulders. Honestly, your jealousy face is probably the only thing that could make me laugh."

"Jackass. I wasn't jealous." Naruto muttered, punching him in the arm angrily before sulking on the other corner of the bench. Sasuke leaned back. "So you like the Hyuuga. Ask her out."

"What!?" Naruto turned to give him an incredulous look. "Why would I do that?!"

Sasuke looked at him blankly for two seconds before burying his head in his hands. "Why am I discussing this with you?"

He looked up, onyx eyes baring into his. "Look, Naruto, as much as I don't care about how you're in denial about her, be warned: Hinata Hyuuga isn't just a kunoichi. She's a _woman._ A woman who comes from a noble family, can kick butt, and is seriously attractive. And you know who wants a woman like her?"

"Who?" Naruto asked, his interest piqued in this conversation all of a sudden, yet not quite understanding what Sasuke was alluding to. The avenger crossed his ankles. "_Men_."

A pregnant pause.

"I don't get it."

"Your stupidity is giving me a headache." Sasuke got up, glaring at the Jinchuuriki. "You have no idea how many guys want to be you right now solely for the reason that the attractive, young Hyuuga heiress is madly in love with you."

Naruto's eyes fell to his hands. "So what you're telling me…is that I should watch out for her and make sure nobody tries to hurt her?"

Sasuke nearly brought out a chidori.

* * *

"I will never understand men," Sakura sighed dejectedly, swirling her drink with a straw. Hinata merely offered a smile, ushering to the empty seat that the blonde of the trio left behind. "But you could still try. What Ino said made a lot of sense."

"It did," Sakura nodded, agreeing with her. She straightened up, determination a new resolve in her mind. "From now on, I'm going to pretend like I don't care what Sasuke-kun says anymore."

"Good!" Hinata agreed. "You should give him a taste of your own medicine!"

"Yeah!" Sakura agreed, slamming a fist against her open palm. "From now on, I don't care _what _men have to say anymore!"

Hinata smiled at her pinkette friend, feelings of happiness for her newfound determination putting a smile on the heiress' angelic face. "I wonder…if I did the same thing, would Naruto fall for me?"

Sakura's grin slowly reduced as she studied the heiress intently. Hinata didn't seem to notice as she began to speak quietly. "Sometimes…I just can't help _wonder_ if he's ever even thought of me- even just as a friend- the same amount I think of him sometimes."

"You've definitely crossed his mind the past couples of months," Sakura pointed out. Her mind flashed back to a couple of days ago, when the mysterious package dictated for the Hyuuga before her appeared. "Ne, Hina-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Why don't _you_ give up on him?"

Hinata looked up. "What kind of question is that?"

"A realistic one. Very bold, almost even rude," Sakura mused, but her the way her eyes seemed to stare into each pupiless orb the Hyuuga had, Hinata realized she was serious. "What if there was someone better?"

Hinata let out a quick exhale, which Sakura assumed to be her version of a snort. "I'd love to know who that is."

Sakura merely grinned. "Maybe you'll find out soon."

Hinata grinned back, all of a sudden feeling that Sakura knew something she didn't. "Maybe."

"Sakura," A deep masculine voice broke both girls out of there reverie, bringing their attention to the brooding raven haired avenger. Sasuke grumbled, "I want to go home."

Hinata and Sakura exchanged a quick glance before the pinkette crossed her legs casually, shrugging. "Okay. Go ahead."

Sasuke's brows were temporarily suspended as he blinked in confusion. "But you have to come home with me."

"As long as I know where you are, you're fine," Sakura waved him off. "Now go, shoo, me and Hina-chan are in the middle of having a very interesting conversation."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as Naruto chose to pop up behind him, speaking over his shoulder. "About what?"

"About the summer festival." Hinata said rapidly, grinning at him. Naruto slid into the booth next to her, watching her excitedly as she scooted over to share the tiny seat with him. "That's cool! Who are you going with?"

A miniscule wave of rejection wavered through Hinata as Sakura quickly caught her hand. "We decided this year, we'll be each other's dates."

"Oh," Naruto's voice faltered as he stole a glance at the avenger hopefully. "That's too bad…guess me and Teme are dates, right?"

"Fuck. No."

* * *

To make up for the no action chapter here, I decided the next chapter will be extra long and Hinata's secret admirer will FINALLY make an appearance.


	9. Day 8

**10 Days**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto Shippuden.**

_Shout out to my homies: nico2883, Rose Tiger, MrSwaggafield, LolatheSa, Shisenki, Titokhan, kiyone110, WinterPrayerOfTheMoons, furuba-suzume, Arymed, Naara-no-temari, Dani Stark, "Guest," xXYour DoomXx, Uchihasforever24, Nahi-shite,Paper-Ninja-Star, ichiberry-tan, "Anon," Crystal Bud, Hina the half heart, mrpeeples, missstampede, Bottomless Pit of EMOTIONS, nhalltheway, FlameRaven1, Hicccuproars, nyx189, NaruHinaUntilTheEnd, Eerie Ava, miso-saur, kika04, godzillawwe,tactics 2012, YungHime, , and last but NEVER least: Kilalahinanaruto555_

_You guys are the best!_

_**A/N: 200+ REVIEWS I CANT EVEN FUNCTION IM SO HAPPY IM DEAD NO MORE STORY WRITING IM DEAD JUST KIDDING I LOVE YOU ALL SOO FREAKING MUCH ILL EVEN WRITE A SONG ABOUT YOU GUYS**_

_Terms to know while reading:_

_Yukata: This is the summer equivalent of a kimono. _

_Sankyoku: Think a Japanese mariachi band. Composed of three instruments, called a koto, shamisen, and shakuhachi, and sometimes a kokyu_

_Koto: This sounds sort of like a banjo, but much more mellow. It's a piece of wood with movable bridges for the player to change the pitch of the tune, and is played by plucking each of the 13 strings._

_Shamisen: This _is _the Japanese banjo. It is fretless, and it's a lot tinier than a bando. The body is shaped like a drum, while the neck is slender and tall._

_Shakuhachi: It sounds and is played a lot like a flute, but somewhat lower pitched. If you listen to the Naruto OST "Sadness and Sorrow," you can hear what it sounds like._

_Kokyo: It's a Japanese violin, played similarly like a cello._

* * *

The scents of stir fried delicacies and the sounds of laughter and music did little to calm Hinata Hyuuga's jittering nerves. The sounds of the annual summer festival were just beginning, yet Hinata couldn't feel the slightest glimmer of happiness as she sat in a more isolated part under a littering cherry blossom tree, careless of what stained her kimono.

She couldn't justify her feelings of bitterness towards her younger sister for putting her up to _this_, this horrible, terrible thing she was made to do. But then she rationalized, she _was_ the one who agreed to it.

But it was unknowingly, so perhaps it was more Hanabi's fault than her own…

"Hinata? You okay? You look kinda sick."

A fair-skinned hand waved over her thoughtful face, Hinata finding the owner to be her favorite pinkette, frowning at the petite kunoichi.

"Sakura-chan," Hinata got off the bench, not mindful if her flowing kimono creased. Hinata noted how she wore her kimono in the most vibrant shade of pink to match the excited blush on her cheeks, her hair and eyes matching with the _sakura_ blossoms that ran across the slender woman. "I didn't even see you there,"

"Well, obviously you didn't," Sakura arched a brow, a smile twisting on her pink lips. "You were too occupied staring at your hands to even notice me come by two minutes ago. You're a terrible date. Why are you sitting here by yourself? And in that really pretty kimono too. You've even got your makeup and hair done!"

The stunning masterpiece was created over the course of a few days, heavy props to the talented seamstress for that. The cream-colored garment draped over her perfectly to show off her gorgeous figure, a dark blue obi that tied into a big bow behind her that matched her hair tied at the waist to accentuate her hips. The sleeves were fitted so that her shoulders to her biceps were seemingly painted white, but opened up to bell shapes at the end, hiding her hands. Embellished butterflies with pale purple bodies and gold wings mingled down her kimono, from her shoulder down to her feet. Her long hair was twisted into a fancy chignon bun, a tiara-shaped gilded pin holding her silky strands in place though her signature bangs and locks of hair that framed her face were ever so present. Her face was painted white for the most part, like a geisha's, with charcoal lining her eyes to emphasize her lavender orbs and red lipstain coloring only the inner part of her mouth to look like a heart. Hinata blushed, adding on to her glow. "I could say the same for you. Where's Sasuke-kun?"

The cherry blossom made a face. "Looks like that makes us two. Sasuke's doing Kami-knows-what. I want some dango though…you want?"

Hinata frantically waved her hands in her sleeves. "Oh, no, you don't have to do that! I'm too nervous to eat anyways…"

Sakura arched a perfect brow. "I honestly thought Naruto would ask you to the festival yesterday."

"I thought that too," The heiress sighed sadly. "But this morning, he came by to let me know that he wouldn't be coming because he had to meet up with a special friend."

"Oh. _Ohhh._" Sakura put an arm the defeated shoulder of the Hyuuga. "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I'll personally kick his butt for you."

Hinata gave a rueful smile. "You don't have to do that, Sakura-chan. Thank you, but Naruto isn't my primary concern at the moment."

"What?" Her brow furrowed. "Then what are you all mopey about?"

"I'm not mopey! Just nervous…" Hinata defended herself as she stared at the floor again. "You know how the Hyuuga is hosting the shrine entertainment this year for the summer festival?"

Sakura nodded.

"Well this year, Hanabi was supposed to be dancing out an ancient dance that's run through our family for _ages_," Hinata explained.

Sakura shifted in her kimono. "Go on,"

Hinata sighed. "This year, _I_ have to do it because of a stupid prank that we decided to pull and Hanabi demanded I do whatever she wanted, just once."

Sakura tried hard to conceal her grin. "Oh, I see. It can't be _that_ bad."

"The entirety of _Konoha_ is going to be watching!" Hinata shrilled, wide-eyed in panic. "I'm doomed."

"Hey, hey, don't get all hopeless," Sakura comforted. She put a hand on her shoulder, "Think, what would Naruto say?"

Hinata chewed on her lips fervently, _"I want ramen,"_

Sakura let out a laugh while a queasy smile spread on the anxious heiress' lips.

"I think Naruto's rubbing off a bit _too _much on you," Sakura grinned, wiping a tear that escaped the corner of her eye. Hinata grinned back at her friend. "Perhaps. But I'd feel a whole lot better knowing that he'd be watching too,"

"What? Why?" Sakura's lip curled in distaste. "I'd never want to dance in front of anybody, let alone _Naruto_. If I messed up, he'd never let me live it down,"

Hinata giggled. "Maybe. But just seeing him there is enough inspiration to keep on going and to give it my all."

With that being said, the young heiress looked down at her hand, suddenly feeling a lot better about it. She could dance perfectly…she had it memorized, practiced and down, so what was there to be nervous about? Even if she messed up, she could easily use a swipe of one of the ornate fan props to cover it up, or incorporate it somehow into the story. She was so busy with her thoughts and self-inspiration, she failed to notice the studying gaze Sakura was holding on her.

"Hina-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Naruto _really_ doesn't deserve you."

Lilac eyes widened in surprise, glued to the pinkette kunoichi silently give her a mysterious smile before she turned around and went to go find some delicacies.

* * *

Naruto stood there awkwardly in front of the line for the dango, unsure of really what to do at the current moment. Onyx eyes, dancing with a fire that could only be expressed through a fight were battling against passive, yet arrogant and condescending turquoise orbs in an intensity that no one could describe.

So much _loathing_ in a single stare. The Jinchuuriki could practically _feel_ the heat.

"A-ano, Sasuke, Gaara…you guys remember you're _friends_, right?"

"Sure, I remember," Sasuke bit out dryly, not blinking as Gaara crossed his arms. "I do,"

Naruto chose this moment to throw his arms around the two boys, "Then let's get some dango! Sasuke, didn't you wanted some?!"

"I hate dango," Sasuke retorted as he turned to glare at the Kazekage some more. Gaara met him with an incredulous look, though his eyes remained icy. "I would like to try some of this _dango_, actually."

"Great, then what are we waiting for!?" Naruto dragged his two friends by the arm hurriedly as he tried to lighten up the tension. "I can't _wait_ for the fireworks and the other cool stuff that's going to happen tonight! What about you guys!?"

"I'm here out of formality."

"You forced me into this."

Naruto pouted before trying again, "You guys have to at least see the shrine performance this year! I heard this year it's going to be really different!"

"Who's performing?" Gaara asked interestedly.

"So _this_ is what's taking my dango so long. You guys are holding up the line." Sakura frowned as she stopped the trio of boys. Naruto flashed a cocky grin. "Hey there, Sakura-chan. What's a pretty girl like you doing out here all by yourself?"

Sakura glared daggers at his mock flirtation. "I was here with _Hina-chan_, actually."

"Do you want dango? I'll get some for you." Sasuke offered her. Sakura ignored him, sighing before her expression quickly morphed into anger and surprise, jade eyes lingering on the Jinchuuriki before they narrowed into slits. "Naruto!? Wait, what the hell are you doing here!?"

"Um…enjoying the summer festival like I always do?" The blonde responded, confused. Jade eyes widened. "You _idiot_! You _lied_ to Hina-chan?!"

Gaara unnoticeably stood a bit straighter at the mention of the name.

"What?! When!?" Naruto's brow creased as the pinkette jabbed her finger at his chest accusingly. "When you told her you couldn't bring her to the festival because of a _special friend_!"

"Look!" Naruto grabbed Gaara and pushed him in front of him to barrier himself. "This is my special friend! You know Gaara, don't you?"

Sakura gave a sincere, happy smile, "Good evening, Gaara-kun. I like your yukata. Very pretty. Excuse me, would you mind moving out of the way now?"

He smirked. "Gladly,"

Sakura's eyes glinted dangerously green as the other two watched on with amusement. She grabbed the collar of Naruto's sleeveless outfit. "You _jerk_! Do you realize how much she _needs_ you today!?"

"What do you mean!?" Naruto shrilled, feeling a punch coming soon. Sakura dropped him, glaring down at the Jinchuuriki flat on his butt with her hands on her hips. "Hinata-chan's performing the shrine dance _tonight_ and she's a nervous wreck."

"Hinata's performing tonight…? At the shrine…?" The jinchuuriki's eyes widened before he slapped his forehead. "Oh, _no!_ I have to see her before she goes on!"

Sakura "Well, we better hurry! It's almost about to start!"

* * *

"It was really weird," Temari stole a bite of one of Shikamaru's dripping dango as they sat under a cherry tree, not quite huddled together but certainly together. The performance to the shrine was going to begin soon, and the two decided to eat beforehand before all the action started. "Gaara just randomly decided two days ago that he wanted to come here."

Shikamaru arched a brow as he wiped off a bit of syrup that fell on the corner of Temari's mouth. "What exactly did he say?"

"He seemed pretty distracted after the war ended," The dirty blonde kunoichi looked thoughtful before she snapped her fingers together. She deepened her voice, mimicking Gaara's baritone, "_'We're going to Konoha. Pack your bags. We leave in two hours.'_"

His eyebrows rode further up his face. "That _is_ strange."

Temari nodded, her quadruple pigtails bouncing. "Kankuro and I didn't even have a choice…we _had_ to go." Her mouth mashed into a suspicious line, "I don't think Gaara's here for a friendly visit though,"

"You're right, it doesn't seem like him at all," Shikamaru agreed thoughtfully. He paused. "Do you think…maybe he's here to see someone?"

"Someone like…a _girl_…?"

"Yeah…"

The two shinobi looked at each other for a fill minute, processing this possibility before their jaws dropped simultaneously.

"Oh my Kami! We're visiting because Gaara has a crush on someone!"

* * *

"You ready, Hina-nee?" Hanabi adjusted the tiara pin on her sister before adding a few pale pink and purple flowers to the underside of her bun. Hinata cracked a nervous smile. "A bit antsy…but I know I can do it."

Hanabi grinned as she handed her sister her fans. "I'm glad you're doing it instead of me. I looked like a fool trying."

"Not at all, you just needed a bit of practice," Hinata shook her head lightly, trying not to mess up her perfectly placed hairstyle. The two sisters grinned as the _sankyoku_ band began setting themselves up on the marble floor of the shrine, decorated with intricate pillows.

"Looks like it's almost time for the show," Hanabi commented. "Good luck nee-san. I'll be rooting you on!"

Hinata passed her sister one more smile before she ran through the routine in her head, waving and smiling to each member of the sankyoku. She could hear the sounds of the excited crowd behind the curtain that separated the heiress from them, immediately feeling her heart begin to accelerate twenty times as she took a deep breath, and stood poised to her opening pose just as the curtain parted.

* * *

The crowd fell deadly silent as two heavy beat drums doled out a slow, heavy beat, silencing the four teens that had pushed their way up to the front, where the shrine sat like a pedestal. The curtain began opening, and the Jinchuuriki held his breath until he saw what was hidden behind it.

The silhouette of a young woman with her hair put up elegantly stood poised with one fan extended and opened, while the other was raised to cover her face despite the fact no one could see her face. The drum beat continued to be played before the young woman began moving, dropping each hip to the beat as she turned around, exposing an alabaster-painted face with smoky eyes, the other half shrouded behind her gold and dark blue fans teasingly.

Naruto exhaled, unaware that he forgot how to breathe momentarily as his eyes widened when the _shakuhachi_ began playing a soft, yet haunting, melodious tune. The young woman extended her bare right foot, elegantly swiveling it around her as she followed the movement to complete a full turn before she crouched, her opposite foot out and head facing her lap before she looked up slowly, opening her mysterious eyes and meeting directly with Naruto's. The Jinchuuriki's eyes widened furthermore as the corner of her mouth seemed to smirk at him.

She got up once more before she finally snapped both fans shut, her hips still moving to the beat, her legs still waving and gliding as the haunting vibrato of the flute-like instrument controlled her, arms controlled by the equally sorrowful song that the _shamisen_ began playing. She rolled her shoulders back, tilted her head back, twisting and turning as her fans gently glided through the air before she threw the fans down with a flick of her wrists, halting all the music.

The crowd was captivated with the young woman as she slowly untied the large obi behind her, undoing it to reveal two separate long ribbons that she held at arm's length, the top of the kimono stitched to cover her bosom, but opening up the bottom to reveal capri trousers, her feet still bare.

The crowd gasped as she reached up to pluck out the tiara that sat on her head, instead letting down a waterfall of silk hair cascade down her back before the music started up again, this time, the beats dropping faster and the koto joining in the fray to produce high pitched notes and spelled out a happier tune.

The young woman raised her hands up in the air, the ribbon weaved through her fingers as she danced on her toes, leaping on one toe before twirling, her hair, kimono and ribbons all swirling around her before she raised her hand into an arc over her head. She began traveling down the stairs, twirling and leaping delicately before she reached the base, the entire crowd moving back to give her space as she glided through the air, teasing the front row with her ribbons.

She took care to drive Naruto crazy as her eyes glittered, her dark blue ribbon ticking his nose and caressing his face playfully before she did a backflip, twirling once more before she dropped into a crouch with her legs crossed behind her, hands planted firmly on each side as the beat drummed one last time before ending, with her face looking dead ahead at the Jinchuuriki.

Silence. Ten whole seconds of deadly and shocked silence as the crowd came out of their hypnotism. Sakura was frozen in disbelief. Gaara's eyes almost seemed like they were going to pop out of their sockets. Sasuke cleared his throat, taking deep breaths to control his blush. Naruto jaw flapped against his chest before he wiped off his drool and he exploded into applause, the entirety of the crowd quickly following suit and breaking out into a cacophony of cheers.

Hinata got up, smiling from ear to ear triumphantly as she traveled back up the stairs to bow before the curtain closed once more.

* * *

"You did it! Oh my Kami, Hina-chan, that was _beautiful_!" Sakura cried as she threw her arms over her friend, laughing the entire time. "Did you see the way the crowd _reacted_ to that?! Everybody was _hypnotized_!"

Hinata smiled in disbelief as she shook her head shakily, the adrenaline wearing off of her. "I'm still in shock I did it."

Sakura and her hugged some more, squealing, as Sasuke stared at her before turning his nose to the side, "It was pretty good, Hyuuga."

Hinata grinned at the brooding man. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun. Ano, where did Naruto-kun go?"

"He'll be here shortly," A deep, masculine voice rumbled behind her. Hinata turned, finding herself chest-to-face with the Kazekage.

"Kazekage-sama!" She gasped before bowing. "It's an honor to see you here!"

"Your performance was beautiful, Hinata-san," Gaara looked down at the young woman before putting a hand on her shoulder, a gentle warm look in his eyes, unfamiliar to everybody in the group. Hinata straightened back up in confusion with the sudden touch. Gaara's lips pulled into the barest hints of a smile. "And please, I told you to call me Gaara,"

"I can't do that…the least would have to be Gaara-san," The young woman quipped as she nervously played with her hair.

The maroon haired man shook his head, his upturned cornered-smile still present. "Still too formal. I believe I promised to call you Hinata if you call me Gaara,"

Hinata blushed at the way his sea-foam colored eyes met hers with an unfamiliar warmth and longing that was reserved specifically and only for her, "It was Gaara-kun," She reminded quietly.

"Then I shall call you Hinata-chan," Gaara responded as he nodded. "Agreed?"

Hinata giggled. "Agreed."

Before Gaara could make another sound, a bouquet of roses were shoved in front of Hinata from behind. Hinata whirled around as a familiar Jinchuuriki placed both his hands on her tiny shoulders, bending over slightly so the two of them were eye-to-eye level. Naruto spoke with a dead serious voice, "Hinata-chan, your performance was probably the most breathtaking thing I've ever seen in _my life_. Words cannot explain how sorry I am I didn't come see you before you went either, but you did _amazing_."

He got her flowers! And Hinata saw the look on his face while she was dancing, he was practically _drooling_ over her, she _totally_ impressed him! He got her _roses_! The most romantic type of flowers any guy could get a girl! Naruto_ had_ to be fostering a crush on her, or at least begin the whole dating process.

Hinata bit her lip, trying hard not to smile before she threw her arms around the Jinchuuriki. Naruto laughed along with her as he picked her up and spun her around. As he placed her back, he was met with a questioning look on Gaara's face.

"Are you two courting?"

Hinata's grin was wide and confident as she and Naruto looked at each other before the Jinchuuriki spoke up confidently. "Absolutely not! We're just friends!"

Sasuke blinked twice as Sakura's eyes narrowed. Neither of the group saw Hinata's grip slacken on her bouquet, nor did they see the excited smile and glittering eyes falter into a dejected look.

Except for a pair of sea-green eyes.

* * *

Poor Hinata-chan. Sometimes, men can be so oblivious.


	10. Day 9

**10 Days**

_Thank you to: Titokhan, Rose Tiger, furuba-suzume, a Wiccan, Flameraven1, "Lucy," tactics2012, TAKCH1, redspud, MrSwaggafield, Shinny, Ayrmed, xXYour DoomXx, Firework's Feelings, KagYasha4ever, Nahi Shite, Paper-Ninja-Star, Hailbara, Manu83, nhalltheway, unknown90s, Eerie Ava, paracuties, RefusedAngel, Shay14, Hiccuproars, "Guest," kika04, SaphireDragon15, mino-saur, LolaTheSa, imugly, AND Kilalahinanaruto555 for all the awesome reviews!_

_You guys are bestest reviewers any fanfiction author could ever have! EVAR!_

_**A/N: GAH ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT**_

* * *

"Hina-nee's not home. She went out with some guy earlier today." Pale, milky eyes seemed closed off and reserved with an underlying dislike. She opened the door enough for her small frame to poke through, showing him he wasn't welcome in the house of Hyuuga.

Naruto blinked twice, an uneasy feeling spreading in his stomach as his gaze fell questioningly on the younger Hyuuga. "With who?"

"Only the _Kazekage_," Hanabi emphasized his name, casually looking at her nails. She spoke coldly, yet with an intensity Naruto didn't understand and fathom as to why it was directed to him. "They decided they were going to catch up over lunch last night after he escorted her home."

"He walked her home…?" Naruto's uneasiness grew into a heavy tug at the pit of his stomach. "Where are they right now?"

"They went to lunch, so a restaurant, I'm guessing." Hanabi rolled her eyes sarcastically. She sighed exasperatedly, opening her milky eyes to show almost a low plead. "Look, just leave her alone for today. She's not feeling so hot and she definitely doesn't want to show it to you."

"Wait a minute, what?!" Naruto snapped, staring at her incredulously. "You're telling me to lay off while she's upset!?"

"Naruto-"

"I'm going to find her!" Naruto called over his shoulder as he started his way out of the Hyuuga complex. First, he _needed_ to find out why she was upset. Second, he was going to ask _what exactly_ she was doing with Gaara.

* * *

"Most flowers that I've pressed were very simple," Gaara spoke quietly as he and the heiress sat from across each other, eating together. "Desert daisies, a few cactus lilies, but I can't seem to press them without overdrying them,"

Hinata nodded interestedly though she couldn't help but zone out from time to time. "Ah, ano, overdrying is usually the result of using water-soluble paper."

"Hm," Gaara mused before he sighed, "I was never really good at handling delicate items."

Hinata couldn't help but feel the corners of her mouth pinch. "Gaara-kun, would you like me to teach you how?"

Gaara blinked twice, turquoise eyes meeting lavender in surprise as he nodded. "That-that would be great, Hinata-chan."

The both of them smiled to each other as they continued eating in comfortable silence.

Gaara's turquoise eyes found themselves studying the Hyuuga heiress intently. They had formed a strange friendship over the course of the war.

In the beginning, they were formal towards each other. But as the war slowly drove towards its peak, their smiles and pleasantries exchanged off to the sidelines were reserved for only each other; it was their friendship. They discussed what they would do once they were back home, what their fears were on the battlefield, and what they liked doing in general. The red-haired man vividly remembered how, as they were traveling, she stooped down to pick up a single flower, and tuck it away safely in her vest.

But the one thing that he found most peculiar about the gentle heiress: She didn't fear him.

Everybody respected him and loved him as their leader, but tucked away safely behind all that admiration and devotion was _fear_ over what he once was. Gaara knew that he was an abnormality, but he embraced it.

And so did she.

And perhaps that's what he found so…_attractive_, so to say, about her. Hinata Hyuuga wasn't one to judge by the past. She spoke to him fondly, as if she were addressing a team-mate, and she didn't avert her gaze unless she felt shy. Most importantly she wasn't throwing herself at his feet.

She was an open introvert. Mature, quiet, and anybody could discuss whatever they pleased with her. She didn't mind loud noise, but she also didn't mind silence. She was simple; something most women weren't.

However, Gaara knew emotions despite the fact he passed for apathetic. He could see the crestfallen look on her face as Naruto declared their friendship out loud, he could feel her pain of rejection. Not in the same way, but he understood and he knew. He was aware of her confession towards his Jinchuuriki friend (another admirable thing, may he add.) He walked her silently back home after the festival, only bidding her a good evening and that she looked beautiful when she wore her mysterious smile as she gave him a strained smile and fought back her tears.

"Hinata?"

"Hm?"

"Would you like to accompany me for a walk?"

* * *

"Hey! Shikamaru! Temari!" Naruto gasped for air as he stopped to catch his breath in front of the two snacking duo. Sharing a bento of onigiri, the two shinobi sat on a bench on the sides of the town square.

"Hey," Shikamaru raised his hand up in a lazy wave while Temari merely nodded.

Naruto regained his breath, frantically looking around to see if he missed that impossible shade of midnight blue hair and blood red. "Have either of you seen Hinata? I heard she was-"

"With Gaara?" A grin spread on the fan wielder's face. "Yeah, she is. The last I heard of them, they were eating out at Ichiraku's. Why?"

"I needed to talk to Hinata," Naruto admitted as he scratched the back of his head. "I found out she wasn't feeling well last night and see if she needed me."

The kuunoichi let out an unlady-like snort. "Are you serious!?"

Naruto blinked twice, his sheepish grin fading away. Temari arched a brow as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Naruto, think seriously for a moment. If she needed you right now, what's she doing with my brother?"

"That's what I also needed to find out," Naruto's brows furrowed. "I know both of them are really nice people, but when did they become friends?"

"While you were busy saving the entirety of the shinobi world," Shikamaru replied. "When their fleets met up, they spent most of their time talking to each other. I think she's healed him a few times too."

"I saw everything," Temari added in affirmation as she boasted. "He had this huge gash from being hit behind. He was bleeding all over the place, but he wouldn't let anybody but Hinata-chan patch him up. He really seems to trust her."

The wave of surprise that hit Naruto made the pit tug deeper into him.

* * *

"I think you can get the best view of your village from up here," Gaara leaned on the metal banister of the top of Hokage mountain. "Do you agree?"

He was met with silence as he looked to his side, his companion's eyes far away as they watched the sunset together.

"Hinata," He gently brought her out of her reverie. Hinata blinked twice, blushing in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Gaara-kun, what did you say?"

Gaara arched a brow as he took a seat on the floor, his legs dangling off the edge. He ushered the woman beside him to do the same. "You don't seem like yourself,"

Hinata smiled nervously. "I suppose I'm a little tired,"

"After you were delivered to your house? It was barely past nine," Gaara reminded as a small smile warmed his face. Hinata's eyes fell to her lap as she mumbled, "I had to stay up to get rid of the makeup."

His eyes remained on Hinata's as he tipped her chin, facing her towards him. "Stop making excuses, Hinata. You can't lie to me."

* * *

Naruto ducked under the flaps to Ichiraku Ramen as he was welcomed with the scents of his favorite foods. He glanced around, and _still_ no sign of her _or_ Gaara. It was almost sundown too! Where in Konoha were they hiding?!

"Naruto!" Sakura called him over, a happy grin on her face. Ino was sitting next to her, Sai and Sasuke on either side of the ladies.

"Hey there, Dickless," Sai greeted as Ino snorted at his joke. Sasuke merely gave him a nasty glare, clearly acknowledging he wasn't in a good mood. "Dobe,"

"Have any of your guys seen Hina-chan or Gaara?" Naruto asked frantically, ignoring the insults that were thrown his way.

Ino gasped, her pink lips parting into a perfect _o_. "Is she on a _date_!?"

"Booby-chan and Browless? Together?" Sai decided to interrupt with his condescending-yet-innocent tone. Naruto ignored him as his uneasiness slowly grew into anxiety and frustration. "She…she can't be."

"And why not?" Sakura asked defensively. "She's allowed to date whoever she wants."

"I'm not saying that she's not allowed to! I'm just saying I need to talk to her!" Naruto yelled back. He gripped his head. "I _have_ to find her!"

"Well you can do it when she's done with her date with him! She's not your _girlfriend_, Naruto. She can hang out with whomever she pleases." Sakura snapped back at him. Naruto swallowed thickly as he looked guiltily on the floor. Sasuke passed him a meaningful look. The raven haired Uchiha didn't have to say anything in order for the Jinchuuriki to understand what he meant.

_I warned you._

* * *

Hinata sighed dejectedly. "I thought…I thought after ten days, maybe instead of me falling out of love with Naruto, maybe…just _maybe_…he'd see me the same way he saw Sakura-chan.

"I thought spending everyday with him would give him a chance to see that I wasn't that weird quiet little girl, give him a chance to see me as…as…a _crush_," She blushed as her voice grew more strained. "But…he didn't even seem bothered when he said we were strictly just friends."

"Love doesn't come overnight, Hinata-chan," Gaara reminded gently. Hinata gave him a rueful smile. "I know that. But it also doesn't mean it hurts any less. He didn't even notice me after her gave me those flowers."

"I know. I saw the pain in your eyes when he announced it," Gaara said softly. "I don't think you deserve that."

Hinata looked to the side for once as she sighed. "You're the third person to tell me that, aside from my sister and Sakura-chan,"

"Because it's the truth," Gaara said boldly. "Hinata, why do you chase after someone who won't ever see you the same way?"

Hinata looked up at him, his words bringing truth and familiarity towards him.

Her chest grew heavy as she felt tears welling up, blurring her vision. "Because I have hope. It's very little, but it's still there. I'm giving him that chance. And everybody deserves a chance."

* * *

"I warned you, Naruto," Sasuke said, his brows furrowed and arms crossed as he watched the Jinchuuriki pace back and forth in the alleyway as the daily stream of people continued to walk past them, unnoticed. Sakura watched on worriedly.

"I _know_ you did!" Naruto snapped back angrily. "You think I'm _glad_ knowing that Hinata's currently being comforted by another guy?!"

Sasuke arched a brow. "You didn't seem to have a problem with her hanging out with other guys before,"

"Things are _different_ now!" Naruto pulled at his hair exasperatedly. "Me and Hina-chan are _closer_!"

Sakura took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. The Jinchuuriki continued his rant, "She's upset…Hanabi_ told_ me she was upset, and she didn't want _me_ of all people to see her like that?! We've been spending the past nine days together! She _knows_ we've gotten on a closer level, so why is she…why is she _ignoring _me like this?"

Naruto clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Why _Gaara_!? What can he do for her that I can't? He can't treat her the same way I do!"

"No, you're right!" Sakura snapped, her tone sharp, "He can treat her _better_."

Sasuke sighed as he prepared himself for a heated argument. Naruto stared incredulously. "What…?"

"Naruto, get your _head _out of your _ass_!" Sakura glared at him, her emerald eyes dangerously flashing green. "She's been chasing after you with this _hope_ that you'll see her the same way she sees you for her entire _damn life_. And even after these couple of days, you can't even bring yourself to say that you're view of her has changed in the slightest bit!? "

"He's in denial," Sasuke commented casually. "Naruto, if you seriously feel that you and Hinata are _just_ friends, then drop it. Whatever she does with Gaara is none of your business unless she tells you."

Emerald and onyx orbs watched the Jinchuuriki's expression quickly morph from anger to one of deep thought before Naruto slapped his forehead against his head. "_That's_ what she's upset about!"

"About damn time," Sakura scoffed, rolling her eyes. Naruto groaned. "She's upset because she thinks I don't feel the same way about her!"

"She thinks? Or she knows?" Sasuke added in.

Naruto looked at his hands, a thousand thoughts blending into a hurricane in his head.

Hinata Hyuuga wasn't just a shy kunoichi.

She was caring enough to give respect to all life, she enjoyed all the things life had to offer, whether they were big or small. She was a patient kunoichi, strong enough to hear his unrequited love for Sakura and not show how upset she may have been. She listened carefully, making sure she didn't miss out on a single word being spoken. And her small frame was just a disguise-behind all that was a strong woman, maybe even stronger than jounin, who could go for a two hour taijutsu battle and not fall exhausted. She was inspired by bravery, and sought to become a better person than she was yesterday.

But then Naruto thought of all the things that he didn't learn over the past days. The thoughts that came to him when he saw her. Her adorable giggles and the blush that painted over her cheeks when she got embarrassed. How her musical voice chimed every time she tilted her head back and laughed. How she held hands with herself when she was relaxed. How easily she smiled and how happy she got when she saw him, even if it was just a glimpse.

The pieces were slowly coming together.

The jealousy wasn't overprotectiveness, it was marking his territory. Hinata Hyuuga wasn't just a friend…_no,_ she was more special than that unfitting title.

The anxiety? Knowing that she was with another man that _wasn't_ him.

The rushes he felt when he saw her perform, when she got closer to him, when his wandering, shameless eyes fell on her curves? Desire.

The skipped heart beats and blushes? Self-explanatory.

Naruto exhaled as if he were punched in the gut as the realization dawned to him. Everything was fitting together; how _stupid_ could he be not to see it before? Blue eyed widened as his uneasiness slowly grew into unrealistic joy. Laughs of disbelief escaped from him as his two teammates watched him with strange expressions.

Naruto grinned from ear to ear as he declared what he was feeling once and for all:

"I'm in love with Hinata Hyuuga."

* * *

Gaara said nothing, instead, getting up and brushing the back of his pants. "Hinata,"

He offered his hand to her. She took it, trying hard not to show him her face in fear of tears threatening to spill out and embarrass her.

Instead, she was pulled up to her feet and tugged into a gentle embrace. Gaara's chin wrested on top of her head as he patted her back comfortingly. "It's okay if you cry. I don't mind."

Hinata swallowed the growing lump in her throat as she wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest and allowing the pain of her rejection come out.

Perhaps…

Maybe just _perhaps_….she did deserve better.

* * *

Introduction to GaaHina, let the heads begin rolling.


	11. Day 10

**10 Days**

**Thanks to all the positive awesome reviews! I'm not going to list each and every individual reviewer, but you know who you are and you know you're awesome!**

**A/N: Haters gonna hate. Keep your head held high, and your middle finger even higher ;) Anyways, think of it as a gift from me to you because I'm going to forget to post this up next week.**

* * *

Temari blinked at Gaara's unsuspecting form as the ex-Jinchuuriki settled himself down, already dressed to impress and seemingly in a pleasant mood. The dirty blonde kunoichi merely arched a brow, casually running a brush through her spiky locks. "Why are you so happy, Gaara?"

The maroon haired man ignored her question, instead bringing up his own. "We have room for one more person to travel with us, right?"

Temari's brow rode up higher on her forehead as Kankuro snorted out his breakfast ungracefully. "Did you invite your girlfriend to come back to Suna with us!?"

Gaara's lips pulled into a mysterious smile. "I'm going to today."

* * *

Naruto fell asleep excited and giddy, and awoke scared out of his mind. The incessant pounding on the door was the source of his sudden awakening, forcing him to jump out of bed as he could hear Sakura's muffled pleas behind the door.

"Naruto! Open up! It's really important!"

The Jinchuuriki blinked away the sleepiness and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm coming! Don't break down the door, Sakura-chan!"

He chuckled to himself as he twisted the knob, surprised to see the worried expression on Sakura's face. Sasuke seemed to be tagging along, but was leaning against the banister of the hallway instead, his forehead creased.

"Please tell me you heard," Sakura breathed. Naruto blinked. "Why are you so out of breath? Were you running here?"

"That's not the point!" The emerald eyed beauty snapped. "Tell me you heard about Hina-chan,"

His grin shrank as his tone soon became worried. "What happened?"

"Gaara asked her to come back with him to Suna and she agreed."

Naruto's heart stilled as he could barely choke out the words. "Wh…what?!"

Sakura nodded, pink locks bouncing. "I heard it from Temari."

A moment of tense silence passed through them before Sasuke broke it. "She might say yes,"

Sakura glared at Sasuke while Naruto looked up at him in disbelief. Sasuke shrugged. "Think about it, dobe. She found comfort in him while you were busy putting her in the friendzone. Maybe she's realized she's better than you, or that you're not good for her."

The Jinchuuriki suddenly felt queasy as his hand clutched his stomach. The forbidden thought played through his mind: Hinata, who was done with the Jinchuuriki's obliviousness, would obviously agree to Gaara's proposal, not only that, but she'd get all the support she needed from her family; it was the _Kazekage_ asking her, of _course_ they would encourage it! Then, the two of them would slowly fall in love with each other and she would forget the Jinchuuriki, instead staying in Suna to accompany her maroon-haired boyfriend until they even maybe got _married_, and Naruto couldn't stomach the idea of Hinata pregnant with Gaara's kids.

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged a glance at the nauseated look on his face. Sasuke waved a hand in front of the Jinchuuriki, "Did you just imagine them having kids together or something?"

Naruto nodded as anger started to boil up in him.

_No_.

Hinata was _not_ going to leave him, not before he told her how he truly felt.

Determined, Naruto looked up, fire igniting his eyes. "I'm going to find Hinata-chan and stop her."

* * *

Hinata had a lot on her mind. It was awfully sweet of Gaara to send her the flower, as he revealed to her yesterday, but she still had much to think about.

The maroon haired man couldn't possibly be fathoming a crush on her, right? They were friends; just friends and it was going to stay like that. The heiress sighed as she rubbed her eyes wearily, deciding to get out of her room to get some fresh air. The conversation she had with Gaara was still fresh on her mind; and perhaps she was just overreacting and being emotional.

Maybe.

Hinata thought carefully. If she lost Naruto today how exactly would she feel about it tomorrow? How would it affect her?

As the young heiress, immersed in her thoughts, opened the door to her house as she began her small walk. No later than reaching the gates of the mansion, she was pulled out of her reverie by someone screaming her name.

"Hinata-chan! HINATA!"

The heiress gasped and covered her mouth as her eyes went wide, surprised to find Naruto wearing nothing but his froggy pajamas and disheveled hair, sprinting towards her at a speed that could rival Kakashi-sensei's.

She leaned against the wall as she could hear shout behind the Jinchuuriki; Sakura and Sasuke seemed to be chasing after him with clothing, pleading with him to put it on and look more presentable.

"Hinata!" Naruto gasped as he stopped abruptly in front of the Hyuuga. Hinata watched on in shock as his grip around her shoulders tightened, his cerulean eyes begging with hers as he stared intensely at her."Hinta-chan, you can't leave,"

"What?" Hinata managed to croak out, her peripherals sighting his other teammates standing very still a good distance away. She suddenly felt lightheaded, leaning against the wall for support. Naruto's face was very close to hers; his hot breath fanning against her face.

"Please, Hinata, I'm begging you, don't leave. Don't leave me behind like this," The Jinchuuriki searched her face. "I know you were upset with me for calling you my friend, and I know why. Hinata, in the time we spent together, I realized so many things about you!

"You're not just a weird girl who can take my earful every then and now…you're a caring kunoichi, who can listen to me when I'm being stupid and can reason with me logically. You're _fun_, and…and you're so _kind_, even to people like me who don't deserve it!" Naruto continued ranting, his gaze finally dropping to his shoes. "I realize…I realize that you're beautiful, Hinata. Everything that you do, everything that you are is everything I realize I've ever wanted."

Hinata let out a small exhale of disbelief as Naruto hugged her. "And that's why I have to tell you Hinata…if you leave me today, I'm going to follow you wherever you go because there's no one in Konoha…no! The _world_! There's not a single girl like you out there who can make me feel the way you make me! So please, Hinata,"

His face softened, "_Please_, don't leave…because…"

Naruto took a deep breath as his eyes met hers again, replaced with the same spark that sent butterflies to her stomach. "I _love_ you, Hinata."

Hinata's mouth opened into a perfect 'O', her eyes as wide as dinner plates. A couple of seconds of tense shock before Naruto gulped as he spoke shakily, his heartbeat thrumming away in his chest. "Well? What do you say?"

Hinata blinked twice before a small smile pinched the corners of her lips. "Naruto-kun…I'm not going anywhere…"

Naruto blinked. "Eh!? But-but-didn't Gaara ask you to Suna?!"

"No, nor did I intend on asking her," a low baritone spoke, breaking the two shinobi apart. Both pairs of eyes fell on the maroon haired subject, standing tall with his head held high next to Sasuke. The onyx eyed man merely smirked as if he knew something more.

"Sasuke approached me yesterday about how Naruto had realized his feelings for Hinata-chan," Gaara began, his arms crossed over his chest. "Sasuke knew Naruto well enough to know that he would have trouble approaching Hinata-chan without some form of motivation. So, I intentionally told Temari and Kankuro that I was going to ask her to come back with us,"

Sasuke straightened up as he finished. "Temari, being the loudmouth she is, told Sakura, thinking it was true the entire time. Gaara figured out that since Naruto does things based on impulse, he'd be able to confess his feeling for Hinata like as if he was never going to see her again,"

Sakura's emerald eyes were wide. "You couldn't even cue _me_ in on this? I was worried that Hinata was going to leave too! And Temari's been telling the whole _town_…"

Sasuke merely shrugged. "Sorry, Sakura, but you're sort of a loudmouth too. You went straight up to Naruto and told him anyways,"

Sakura pouted while Sasuke merely smirked at her. Naruto scratched his head in disbelief. "Wow…I mean…I guess it really worked…"

Hinata shook her head as she giggled. "Even if he did, I wouldn't agree to go. Naruto-kun, it's true that you hurt me a bit, but my feelings for you haven't changed in the slightest."

"You mean…" Naruto's mouth spread into a grin as Hinata nodded, a blush covering her cheeks. "Yes, Naruto-kun…I love you too,"

The Jinchuuriki swept the heiress in his arms, holding her tightly against him as he picked her off of the ground. "I was so worried you were going to say yes to him…"

Hinata giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her blush still hot as she giggled quietly. She pulled away, her grin wide. "Naruto-kun, were you imagining me and him getting married? That's what you're making it sound like."

The group of teenagers laughed as Naruto blushed, this time in embarrassment. "N-no…"

"Alright you guys," Sakura put a hand on either of the two boys' backs. "Let them be…we should start telling people that Hinata's not going anywhere,"

As the three of the shinobi left, the two were left together again.

Hinata giggled as Naruto caught her hand, holding it firmly in his. His blue eyes fell onto hers excitedly, glittering happily. "Hinata…will you go on a date with me?"

"Yes! Of course!" Hinata nodded happily, her bangs bouncing excitedly. Her eyes traveled down the length of his body before giggling. "But maybe you should change out of your pajamas first,"

* * *

Maybe I should make an epilogue…


	12. Epilogue

**10 Days**

**A/n: Last chapter!**

**GAH THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS, SUPPORT AND AWESOMENESS! I LOVE YOU ALL!**

* * *

Sweaty palms pried open the glass doors to the hospital frantically as blue, worried eyes rapidly darted around the lobby of the hospital.

"Where is she?!"

"H-hokage-sama! A nurse looked p, bewildered. "She's in room two hundred and six, but Sakura-san said-"

Naruto, in all the glory his twenty-six-year old body could muster, began to run down the corridors in a speed that Kakashi would be jealous of, the protests of the nurse drowning behind him as he zoomed down corridors.

"Don't worry, Hina-nee, the contractions are big enough- OW! Don't hit me!"

"Where is my husband!?"

"Hinata-chan, just calm down! Deep breaths, remember? In, and out, in and-"

An ear-splitting cry of pain was let out as Naruto sped up, finally reaching the room. "Hinata!"

Said woman lay down on the white hospital bed, her legs bent and spread apart as Sakura sat in front of her. Her bloated stomach wasn't large enough for her face to be hidden; a sheen layer of sweat had collected onto her forehead, indigo tresses matted against the sides of her face as she let out another cry of agony, tilting her head back. Her eyes were squeezed shut. "N-Naruto!"

"Hinata! Baby, I'm here!" Naruto's eyes trained solely on his wife. He reached out, positioning himself on the side Hanabi wasn't before taking her hand, the one with her silver engagement and wedding ring was on.

Naruto let out a small yelp of pain as Hinata squeezed on in a vice grip, nearly crushing his fingers.

"Breathe in and out, baby, it's okay," Naruto ignored the new pain in his hand as he wrapped an arm around his wife, comforting her as he pushed her hair out of her face and planted a kiss on her temple.

"I can see the head!" Sakura called out, her scrubs and mask on. "Okay, on the count of three, you're going to push, got it Hina-chan?"

"F-fine!" Hinata cried out, her chest heaving heavily.

Sakura nodded, making eye contact with Naruto. "Ready? One, two, three!"

Naruto could no longer feel his fingers as Hinata let out another cry, instead, opting to squeeze her shoulder gently and rub soothing circles down her back.

"One more time! One, two-"

Hinata screamed loudly as she sat straight up, her eyes wider than dinner plates as she executed the last push, the swollen bulge of her stomach gone. Naruto watched his wife pant heavily, flopping back in the pillows. He kept his arms wrapped around her as he rubbed a circle onto her limp hand.

"You did great, Hina-chan," Naruto kissed her temple once more. She opened her eyes wearily as she offered a weak smile, both of them snapped out of their reverie as they heard a loud high-pitched cry.

They could tell Sakura was smiling behind her mask as she handed Hinata the warm bundle of blankets and a bottle. She spoke quietly, yet excitedly as she ushered Hanabi out of the room. "Congratulations-it's a boy."

Hinata leaned onto Naruto's shoulder as tears of joy leaked from her eyes, Naruto feeling his own well up in happiness at the sight of his son-_their_ son.

Tufts of bluish-black hair matted the surface of his head as his eyes were squeezed shut, not yet ready to face the harsh lighting of the room. His cries were loud and hungry as tears fell from Hinata's face, the moment excited, quiet and serene at the same time. He put a strong hand over hers as she cradled the child, silencing him with a bottle as he lapped it up greedily.

"I love you," Naruto whispered softly into her ear. His breath tickled her as she let herself lean onto his chest. Tilting her head up to meet his lips in a soft, chaste kiss. "I love you, too."

And then their child blinked, revealing milky, periwinkle, baby-blue eyes. Hinata gasped softly as another smile spread across her face.

"Minato," She whispered. Naruto looked at her in confusion before she grinned excitedly. "We'll call our son Minato."

Naruto exhaled in a breath of pure ecstasy as he nodded in agreement, shifting his attention to his beautiful child, "Hey, Minato-chan, it's your dad,"

"And your mommy," Hinata added in as Minato's eyes lazily flitted from the faces. Naruto wiped a drop of milk from his face as he took his wriggling, tiny form from Hinata. "And we both love you very much."

The child looked up at his parents once more as Naruto wrapped an arm around Hinata once more, sharing a special smile before he looked down at their son. "Welcome to the world, little one."

**The End**

* * *

There. There's your epilogue. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and supported this story. Maybe there'll be another NaruHina fic coming your way :P


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